


A Modern Tale of Genji and the Talking Bike

by fyras14



Series: My Friends, the Stars [2]
Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Humor (hopefully), Oh, Other, Somewhere, Vacations, and there's a musician there, plus a little witch, plus a talking bike, plus everything sugar and spice and everything not so nice, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-06-11 19:13:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15322353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fyras14/pseuds/fyras14
Summary: Sequel to "Princess of Tokyo".An epic tale of adventure and nonsense is about to begin...When a bike goes missing, Akko's on the case! Or at least, tries to be. A missing bike and mysterious golden boxes...Akko's vacations back home can't get any (worse) better!





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> The idea of this story was to make it a really, really, really long-shot. That...didn't exactly work out. I kept getting distracted...and well, focus was hard to keep up, not because I lost inspiration or nothing like that...it was mostly, well...reading. A lot of it. 
> 
> I blame all those great stories I've been reading a few days now for my lack of productivity on this one. :) (Alright, it's mostly my fault.) 
> 
> But now, it's here. 
> 
> I have decided for the sake of my sanity to split this up into three parts, instead of one long story. 
> 
> Now, for those reading "When Yokai Attack", this story takes place before that one. But don't worry, it won't really spoil anything of importance, except for one small scene that will take place later in the story but that is of no consequences. You may also noticed this is the 2nd part of My Friends, the Stars series, and no, its not a mistake, this one is meant to be the 2nd part, with "When Yokai Attack" being the third one. 
> 
> On a side note: I have not read the Tale of Genji...but I know the basic plot behind it. I just like the name. :) So, you probably won't see any allusions to that tale. Sorry, to say. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy this one! And sorry for the mayor delay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People talking in italics are talking in Japanese. (There's a reason for this)

**0-0-0-0-0**

**A Modern Tale of Genji and the Talking Bike**

**0-0-0**

All was quiet as midnight approached the small little neighborhood in Edogawa.

A few streets were busy with noise and light, but not so much the lonely street with rows and rows of apartments buildings with a few modest houses scattered nearby. One of these buildings, however, was a tad bigger than it's smaller cousins. It had three floors instead of the common two the other apartment buildings had, with the second and third floor having their own balconies that gave the tenants breathing to wonder and see the outside world. A few of these balconies even had chairs and tables, while others had plants and even small little dog houses with no dog in sight.

Right next to this particular building was an open garage with two cars inside. People from other neighborhoods would have found it odd that there were only two cars for those many apartments, but had they just looked behind the apartments they would have noticed the closed off parking lot behind them. The tenants’ cars were parked in this small little lot that offered security twenty four seven with security cameras and bricked walls on all sides with a metal gate being the only way out.  

The lot, originally, didn’t have any cameras to speak of, but certain circumstances in Tokyo had made the manager of this apartment complex uneasy. A lot of crime and not enough police officers, the rumors said. And so, the cameras were added, and while many people would call the manager paranoid, the man figured he'd rather be that than lose any tenants (and their money) to car thieves.

But today, the night was safe and sound. All was quiet and calm. No one in sight. No one to light the way but the stars above.

Had anyone been outside to look closer, however, they would have noticed that one star seemed to be shining brighter than all the rest. In fact, it appeared to be...falling. Falling and lightning a path as it fell from the sky. If anyone had been outside to see such marvel, they would have smiled and made a wish or in the most normal of cases, would have stared up in confusion as the star fell from the heavens without explanation.

But since no one was around to question it, the star just kept falling and falling, it’s light becoming engulfed by the night, until it disappeared into the parking lot behind the apartments without a sound.

Then, a cat’s cry shook the silence, and soon, the dogs hidden inside the apartments with their owners began their own melody of cries, following after a kitten that seemed to sense that something had gone wrong. Lights were getting turned on inside the apartments and a few tenants were already complaining for their neighbors to hear.

But everyone was too busy with the noise to hear the sounds coming from the parking lot. They sound like splashes of water, popping balloons, _blub, blub, blat, blub, blub, pop._ The noise seemed to turn themselves on and off, off and on, as if unable to decide what to do, as all around them the barking gets louder and the cat begins to hiss.

Then, a light begins to illuminate the lot. It starts small, before growing and growing until it reveals the culprit.

The motorbike lies lonely a bit to the side, taking up space against the wall next to a van and a pickup. It’s a cruiser, colored black with golden highlights, a pair of grey handles that are moving, vibrating from left to right as the sounds of the engine turning itself on and off fill the parking lot. The headlight, too, is big on the front, blinking light into the world every few seconds.

_Blub, blub, blat...blub, blub, pop!_

On and off. Left turn, right turn. On and off. Again. Repeat.

_Blub, blub, blat…_

Again. And again. Andー

The headlight stops blinking. It glows. It sparkles. It...grows. As the barking and the hissing get louder, the headlight begins to change. Light sprouts from behind it, growing and growing in size, until it engulfs the headlight and begins to change shape. It begins with a snout, then a mouth full of sharp, glowing teeth, a nose, two fierce-looking eyes and then, a large mane of hair that sparkles and cracks as two little ears stick out of it.

The cat cries, louder, over all the barking, as the new creature with the body of a motorbike opens its mouth and lets out a roar that quiets the neighborhood. But the cars do not stay silent for long as their alarms blare and a melody of distortion begins.

By now, everyone is awake. Even a few apartments nearby have their lights shining through the windows, with a few sticking out their heads to see what all the commotion is about.

When a few of the tenants of that particular loud parking lot come down to investigate, they notice the open gate, destroyed, and it's metal burning. As the tenants stare at this strange occurrence, a pair of them, a young man and woman, walk quickly towards the area were the bike used to be. Nothing remains but the tire tracks that have been permanently burned into the pavement.

In frustration, the young man glares at the wall and mutters a curse.

**PART I**

Morning arrived with no problems for the residents of a quaint little neighborhood on a different part of Edogawa. Unlike the collection of buildings and apartments, this particular particular street was dominated by homes and a few businesses nearby.

Houses were crammed together, side by side. Some with two or three floors that towered above all the others. Old Fukuyama’s shop was still opened and still sold everything from clothes to snacks to old antiques year round. Unlike old Fukuyama’s shop, however, people had moved to new places as the years had gone by. The Takedas had moved away a long time ago, leaving their house to their only son, Takeda Go, while they enjoyed their retirement in the country. A house away, however, the old Kagari home had been sold a few years back, while the elder Kagaris had moved to another part of the ward. Since then, the house had been sold to many different people before a family finally settled down six years ago.

And then, there was the old house with the giant maple tree in the corner, offering shade to all those that passed by.

The house had not changed much over the years. The lawn was still simple, with neatly cut grass and the same, small little path that led from the front door to the wooden one that opened into the street.

People walked by, a few admiring the large maple tree and it's fiery red leaves that floated and decorated the sidewalk and the small garden where it stood. Neighbors waved at one another, a few greeted old friends and began conversations in the street, while others, young children, ran towards Fukuyama’s shop, crying out for sweets.

And there was calm and serenity andー

_“ARGGGHHHH!! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!?!?”_

Eventually the calm was broken by one Atsuko Kagari.

**0-0-0-0-0**

**I**

**0-0-0**

Akko’s head hit the kitchen counter with a small _thud_ ; her mother, calm and caring, patted her back gently, as her daughter’s newly acquired rabbit ears dropped with her sour mood.

An hour ago, Akko had been all smiles, excited, jumping up and about, about to show her mother the fruits of her labor, her magic in action. She was confident she would impress. Then, she took out her wand and in a grandiose voice cried out the magic words and then...and then…

...and then, she had turned herself into _this_. A half rabbit, half girl.

Akko messed up. She couldn’t believe she had messed up. The young witch had been practicing all of last week! She had done this spell before...once or twice, and this had not happened before. Urgh. Life was just so unfair sometimes.

_“If it makes you feel better...I think they look good on you,”_ the older woman commented, as she took a seat on the other side of the counter and watched with amusement as her daughter just groaned in frustration, her long ears dropping a little more. _“Well...you look very cute.”_

_“...not...helping…”_

The woman giggled. _“I’m sorry, Atsuko...but you do look so cute!”_ Akko raised her head a bit to stare at her mother, her rabbit ears barely hiding her eyes and the unamused look she sent the older woman. _“Oh, what’s wrong, my little bun-bun?”_ Akko sighed.

_“...Mama. Stoooop.”_

Her mother just laughed again as she ruffled Akko’s hair, being careful in not touching her new ears. _“There, there, kiddo...I’m sure they will go away on their own. At least, I hope they do.”_

Akko suddenly stood up, shaking her head fiercely as her ears flapped all over the place. Her mother reacted just as quickly, leaning as far as she was able to avoid being hit by one of them. _“Magic doesn’t work like that! I have to break the spell but…”_ The witch went to grab her wand, who had laid dormant over the counter throughout this difficult time, and glared at it. _“Nothing works!!”_ Her mother tapped her chin thoughtfully.

_“Did you perhaps run out ofーwhat did you call them? Magical batteries?”_

_“Huh? No, no! I didn’t run out of batteries, uh...my magic is limited, but it still works! I turned the couch into a different color, remember?”_ Akko’s face lit up with a grin; changing colors of an object was easy...maybe the color wasn’t alright but it was still a success! Her mother had actually smiled and applauded. She had been totally impressed.

_“Yes, yes I do.”_ The woman replied with a nod, before glancing at the sofa in question. It lay undisturbed facing the large television unit, a few frames lay on the furniture, old photographs of the past, vacations, visits, and that of a young girl dancing in the middle of the rain. Good memories that clashed against the sofa whose color was a glowing sickly green. _“Huh...it changed color again…”_

_“What!?”_

_“Was that supposed to happen?”_

Akko growled in irritation. So much for success.

Grumbling under her breath, Akko pointed her wand at the sofa and muttered a little spell. Magic shrivelled and sparked from her wand, before it hit the sofa. A loud _pop_ and a cloud of smoke later, the couch had changed colors once more. But it wasn’t the result Akko was hoping for.

The sofa had not only changed colors (a dark blue mixed with a greenish yellow) but the change had added a tigerstripe camouflage pattern to it as well.

Akko and her mother stared at the change in silence before the older woman hummed and said, _“Not...exactly the colors I would have chosen but it’s alright, I suppose…”_ Akko responded with a groan, pulling at her long rabbit ears to indicate her frustration with the whole situation.

_“Are you kidding me!?”_

Half an hour later, Akko had managed, at least, to return the couch to its original color but could not do much about it's new pattern. At least one problem solved!...sort of. Now, Akko could focus on getting rid of her new rabbit ears, that cotton ball tail, and the pink nose that had overtaken her human one. Yet it seems that, unlike the sofa, some progress was not being made.

No matter how much she whispered, how much she begged or how much she yelled, the spell over her wouldn’t break.

Eventually, Akko got so frustrated that she just threw her wand on the counter and marched towards her room, opened the door and slammed it back close again, rattling a few of the frames that lay hanging on the wall.

A few minutes later Akko’s door opened and in came her mother, who found the little witch lying on her bed, holding a pillow to her chest as she pouted in frustration, her rabbit ears standing tall for all to see. The older woman approached the bed and kneeled down to be face to face with her grumpy daughter.

_“Got it all out of your system?”_ she asked her, only for Akko to hide her face on her pillow. The woman rolled her eyes affectionately. _“Akko…”_

_“...I’m a mess…”_ Akko whined.

_“Oh, honey...it’s okay.”_

_“But it’s true!”_ Akko threw the pillow aside and turned over so she was facing her room’s ceiling, barely admiring the little stickers of stars that decorated it. They had stopped glowing in the dark a long time ago.

_“Maybe you were a little unprepared, that’s true…”_ her mother began, glancing at the ceiling, before turning towards her daughter, _“...and that’s not what’s upsetting you, is it?”_

_“...I thought I totally had it…”_ Akko admitted, turning to face her mother with teary eyes. Her mother gave her a sweet smile and began to pass a hand over her bangs, brushing them aside.

_“Well, you did it...not exactly as you wanted to, but magic is magic, isn’t it?”_ Akko gave her mother a pointed look.

_“I turned myself into a rabbit.”_

_“An adorable rabbit,”_ her mother added with a grin. Akko, too, broke into a grin of her own, and stood up, her feet dangling from her bed as her mother stood up and sat beside her.

_“I’m really just too impulsive, huh…”_

_“That’s never stopped you before,”_ her mother pointed out, putting an arm around her and pulling her close. _“I always did tell you that to see things through, patience is important...not a lesson you took to heart, but you do try.”_

_“...I wasn’t even rushing…”_

_“Says you,”_ her mother told her, laughing softly. _“You were practically jumping when you said you could do magic now, like Chariot. And you did magic.”_ Akko smiled as a hint of a blush appeared on her cheeks. _“It was wonderful...up until the ears that wouldn’t go away.”_ Akko laughed. _“And isn’t that what you wanted? To do magic and make people happy?”_

_“I didn’t wanna mess up, though…”_

_“Well, failure is good. Failure gives us motivation to try again.”_

Akko sighed. _“I guess…”_ Her mother smiled and kissed her forehead.

_“So long as you don’t forget that I believe in you, you’ll be alright.”_ Akko smiled back.

_“Thanks, mama…”_

_“You’re welcome...however, that still doesn’t solve this little conundrum…”_ The woman pointed at her daughter’s rabbit ears. _“Will these things go away on their own?”_

_“...not sure…”_ the little witch mumbled. _“...it might...maybe...sorta...”_ They were quiet for a while, with Akko was twiddling her fingers, unsure of how to continue this conversation as her mother gave her a look of concern and then, the older woman snapped her fingers as an idea formed in her head.

_“Maybe you can ask for help?”_

_“Huh? Where?”_

_“Well…how about you go to the local shrine?”_

_“You mean the Taro shrine, Mama?”_

Akko knew about the Taro shrine.

Her mother was friends with some of the miko that worked there, and she and her parents always went to the shrine during festivals and the New Year celebrations. Akko wasn’t as familiar with the miko working there as her mother was, but even then, she rarely paid attention to things that didn’t interest her.

_“Why don’t you ask one of the girls to help you with your little...spell?”_

_“But they’re miko! Not witches!”_ Her mother just smiled.

_“And?”_

_“...don’t they just know...sealing and stuff?”_

Her mother laughed.

_“Yes, that they do. They also have a baking sale once every two months...but that’s beside the point.”_ Her mother patted her daughter’s shoulder. _“Sealing spells and_ stuff _...isn’t that magic too?”_

_“But will they know metamorphosis magic?”_ Akko countered with a pout. The woman shrugged.

_“It never hurts to ask.”_

Akko seemed to think about it.

On one hand, her mother had a point, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to ask, but on the other, what if she just wasted time when she could try for the hundredth time to break the spell. Maybe it was better not to risk it. Besides, her wand’s magic wouldn’t last forever. Not that Akko had cared. She had only planned to use it to show her magic to her parents and then put it away until she went back to Luna Nova.

In fact, that had been Akko’s plan from the very beginning ever since Sucy and Lotte started telling her about those metamorphosis lessons and how they were finally moving from theory to the actual spells. Not that it was much of a surprise, that Professor Badcock always started with theory but she would drag on and on to the point it stopped being helpful.  

For Lotte and Sucy (and all her classmates of Luna Nova), metamorphosis magic was rather basic. But Akko wasn’t like her friends and classmates. She wasn’t from a family of magical lineage, and her only experience with magic came from watching a show ten years back. Akko had seen how Shiny Chariot had turned into various animals countless times, sometimes sprouting wings and flying all over the stage or turning into a half horse, half woman, and turning everything around her into birds and even dragons with the flick of her Shiny Rod. Such amazing show of magic had left the little six year old amazed, enchanted.

So, when Akko joined Luna Nova, metamorphosis magic was the one she was the most excited to learn about. Or she would have, had the lessons not dragged on and on for days (and hours) on end. Lectures became a chore to sit through and Akko couldn’t concentrate most of the time, couldn’t keep still as the boring lessons went on and on. And, yes, Akko did fall asleep on her second day, but really, who wouldn’t have!? Everyone else was close to collapsing, too! (Even if Akko couldn’t really prove it.)

And the moment Akko gets sick, the teacher finally decides to start teaching the fun stuff. Lame.

Akko had been so annoyed by it all. They were finally learning something productive (and cool) and Akko was stuck in her room, nursing a bruised stomach with a scar she couldn’t quite explain and prohibited from attending classes until she fully recovered from whatever bug she had caught. It just wasn’t fair.

When Akko told Lotte her frustrations, her friend couldn’t help but sympathize. Akko had made an effort to actually learn the basics of metamorphosis magic and now she was missing out.

And then, Diana Cavendish came and saved the day. Well, not in the literal sense, anyway.

After hearing of Akko’s frustrations, Diana had offered tutoring for the sick girl to teach her the basics (again) and practice spells with her so she wouldn’t be left behind when she recovered and came back from vacations. Akko could still remembered the burst of happiness she had felt. Still remembered how she had enveloped Diana in a bear hug and had twirled her around the room as thanks. She still remembered Sucy and Lotte’s amusement at the whole thing and Diana’s unending embarrassment (coupled with Hannah and Barbara’s shock).

The very next day, Diana began teaching Akko the basics and the words. She quickly went over the theory before moving straight towards casting spells.

“Precision is key,” Diana had told her before they started casting magic. “If there is no precision, the spell distorts, it breaks. Too much force and you confuse the magic, too little and you end up casting nothing at all.”

They started with the easier things first with Diana transforming a pen into a caterpillar, nodding at Akko to try to recreate what she had done. The pen...caught on fire. In Akko’s defense, the spell had failed the first fourteen times she tried it and it had only caught after the fifteen tryーand no, it didn’t catch on fire because Akko had become so exasperated at so many failed attempts. On the bright side, it hadn’t exploded on her face. Yet.

Despite their little accident, Diana didn’t give up on Akko and on the second day, the Cavendish’s patience finally gave fruit. While the final result wasn’t exactly an insect or even alive it was progress. At least Akko had managed to get the basics down, mostly.

On the third day, they had moved from inanimate objects to animals.

Diana had come with a little squirrel to practice the spell on, and demonstrated her precision and control by turning it into a rabbit. When it was Akko’s turn, well, the squirrel was still there but Diana was sitting next to her, rather miffed, with a pair of rabbit ears on her person. After an immense amount of apologies later, Akko tried again, and this timeーnope, it happened again. Diana’s ears had turned to that of a donkey’s and she had even gained a tail! The British girl’s only response to this was to stare at Akko for two, agonizing minutes, while the latter fidgeted under her unamused expression.

Diana had just sighed, dispelled the magic over her, and told Akko to try again.

A hundred (or more) incantations later, coupled with many exasperated sighs from Diana, the squirrel had finally, finaーsprouted rabbit ears and it's long curly tail had been replaced by a tiny cotton ball. The squirrel had just sniffed it's new appendages as Diana and Akko stared at the strange amalgamation for a few seconds before the Cavendish heir released the spell and turned the squirrel back to normal.

They decided to call it a day after that one.

The next day, progress was actually made and the squirrel had become a rabbit. Well, it certainly looked like a rabbit even with that long, curly tail. But progress was progress and Akko had been rather happy about that.

She had thanked Diana for the help and had left to Japan sure of her success of recreating the spell with no problems.

And what went wrong? Well, at least it had been Akko and not her mother that had suffered the consequences.

_“So?”_ Her mother’s question shook Akko out of her thoughts.

_“Umm...maybe?”_ Akko got up from the bed and began walking towards the door. _“I guess I could...it's just a fifteen minute walk.”_ Before the girl could leave the room, however, her mother stood up and grabbed her hand. _“Huh? What’s up?”_

_“And you’re going out like that?”_

_“What’s wrong with what I’m….oh…”_

_“I don’t mind the shorts and those sleeves, kiddo...but the ears and the tail…”_ Akko groaned.

_“And how do I hide them!?”_

_“Your father has a sweater with a hoodie that should do the trick…”_ her mother explained, as she and Akko left the girl’s room.

A few minutes later, Akko left her home wearing an all-too-big sweater that did a wonderful job at hiding her little tail and her long ears, the latter who had to be tied up by her mother to keep them still as the little witch made her way towards the temple as fast as she could.

Her mother watched the girl leave, shaking her head with affection, before she closed the door.

Before she could make it to the kitchen to start making dinner, someone began knocking on the door. The woman looked up, confused, wondering momentarily if Akko had forgotten her keys as she moved to answer the door.

_“Oh! Genji!”_

_“Ma’am.”_

On the door, standing tall and holding a guitar case by his side, was a young man of twenty-five years of age. He wore a blue jacket and baggy pants, his spiky hair messier than usual as if he had just gotten out of bed.

Genji nodded with a grin and pointed his thumb behind him. _“Was that your kid with that oversized plastic bag?”_ The woman laughed.

_“Yes, that was Atsuko...and Genji, I don’t insult your fashion choices, do not insult mine.”_ Genji chuckled as he stepped inside the house, with the woman closing the door behind him.

_“That’s not a fashion choice, Atsuki-san...that’s a plain plastic bag disguise to look like clothes.”_

Atsuki Kagari raised an eyebrow and gave him an amused look. _“Well, it's good to recycle, isn’t it?”_ Genji grinned. Atsuki shook her head and began heading towards the kitchen counter. _“And what brings you here? Sit down, I’ll get you some tea.”_

_“Nah, that won’t be necessary I just wanted toーhuh?”_

_“Hmm? What’s wrong?”_

Genji, still holding unto his guitar case, pointed towards the couch. It had changed color. Again. It was now a neon orange, the pattern barely visible through all that mess of color.

_“...your couch turned into a freaking carrot, Atsuki.”_

Atsuki just shook her head and chuckled as an answer.


	2. Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People talking in italics are talking in Japanese. (There's a reason for this)
> 
> Side note: There will be small spoilers for a future chapter for "When Yokai Attack" but its of no consequence.
> 
> Edit: A few edits were done (thanks for the head's up for that, omaomae) And also a few other things.

**PART II**

Akko walked as fast as she could, using the large sweater to cover her little ears and her cottontail. She really couldn’t do much about her little nose, though, and needed to keep her face down whenever she ran into a crowd of people.

After many close calls (not to mention tripping in the middle of the street!), Akko finally made it to the Taro shrine.

The Taro shrine was said to be one of the oldest temples of Edogawa. According to the locals, the shrine had survived earthquakes, storms, fires and wars for centuries. And despite the years (and the damage), it had not changed much, at least, from what she gathered from her mom. It had gotten a few renovations here and there, but the temple had not really changed from how it used to look years ago.

The temple was rather small from a distance, it's triangular roofs holding up their little spiky hats colored a brilliant red, while the walls that held it up were colored dark reds and a pale white. A faint discoloration could be seen, but it was minimal and it only required a little bit of paint. The walls, made out of concrete and stone, surrounded the area still, like a fence, except now, shrubbery had grown on its feet, only kept tame by constant care from the volunteers inside the temple. A new gate had been added over the once, opened space in the wall, that was opened for all to see the path of trees and the new buildings that had been added on the small area. Another small trail led to the great Urashima Forest, far beyond the shrine and it's companion buildings, a red gate stood some distance away, opened for all to pass.

For now, Akko just focused on getting inside, avoiding as many people as she could, her hood hiding her ears as her eyes darted around, trying to find the right place. Her eyes finally settled on a nearby building that had a small plaque that read, “Information Here”. Akko smiled and moved straight towards it.

The building was small; it was an exact replica of the larger temple, with the only things telling them apart being their size, the colors and the glass door that displayed the hours it was opened. It was through this door that Akko noticed a young woman, a miko, inside the little building, manning something behind a desk. Taking a closer look before she stepped inside revealed to the witch that the girl was alone and Akko let out a sigh of relief.

The less people that knew of this embarrassment, the better.

Letting out a breath, the little witch quickly opened the door and stepped inside, momentarily squeaking as she was caught by surprise by a little bell that chimed above her. It was this two things, the bell and Akko’s yelp of surprise, that caught the miko’s attention and upon noticing Akko, stopped what she was doing and sent her a smile.

 _“Oh! A customer! Welcome! Welcome!”_ the miko called, gesturing with her hand excitedly for AKko to come closer to the desk. _“Welcome to the Taro Gift Shop!”_

_“...Eh? A...gift shop?”_

Now inside, Akko finally took note of the different shelves and the tables, all full of little knick-knacks and keychains and all sorts of things. Omamori, a few maneki-neko piggy banks (keychains and even stickers!?), daruma dolls in different colors, some ink and brushes, and finally, an stuffed animals, like foxes, komainu and crows (each with their own set of stickers, keychains and the like). Behind the desk, hanging inside a glass case, were prayer slips, all blank. And finally, sitting on the desk by the miko’s side was a cash register.

This place made quite a picture.

 _“Yep! This is the official Taro Gift Shop! Opened a few weeks back! Still need to fix the sign outside, though,”_ the miko told her, sounding somewhat apologetic when she talked about the sign. Ah, that explained that. _“If information is all you need, however, I’m sure I can assist.”_ That last part was said in such a disappointed tone that Akko was almost tempted to buy something from the gift shop...almost. _“How can I help you?”_

 _“Umm...well, you see...uh…”_ Okay, the moment of truth. Akko just needed to ask forー

The glass door opened and the little bell sang again; Akko and the miko looked towards the newcomers, the miko smiling as Akko let out another surprised squeak and tried to make herself smaller.

They were a trio of miko, all wearing the traditional attire (as expected), with one of them holding a large staff that reached to her chin. The staff was made of wood and would have looked like a discarded tree branch had Akko not seen the charms covering the head of the staff, going around the end of it like bandage. Akko couldn’t really make out the characters written on the staff, however, but she could only guess they were wards against evil spirits and the like.

The girl with the staff looked at Akko, nodded once, and approached the desk, starting a conversation with the girl behind it.

As the two miko went on with their rather, silent conversation, Akko took a minute to examine the newcomers that had arrived. The girl with the staff seemed to be the oldest one of the small group, give or take a year or two, her beautiful black hair, long and sleek, was held tied into a bun with the prettiest butterfly brooch Akko had seen. So simple and yet refined. The other girl she took notice, was a tad smaller in height, with tanned skin, as if she had spent all day at the beach, bathing in the sun. Like her companion, she had long hair, but it was colored a sandy brown, hanging loose, and covering the a necklace made of colorful flowers. Akko could have sworn she had seen similar flower necklaces somewhere but couldn’t quite put her finger on where.

The last girl, however, seemed to be the odd one out, if Akko was being honest.

She wore the traditional garments but her hair was shorter, a bob cut that reached her chin and side swept bangs, colored a lighter shade of black. Like the girl with the flowers, this girl, too, had something tied around her neck but whatever it was was hidden under her white haori. She also looked rather foreign, too, her expression reminding Akko of her classmate Amanda O’Neill. It was a sour, bored expression, as if she wanted to be anywhere but here.

It was this same girl that took a look at Akko, who, in a fit of nervousness, hid herself with her sweater and tried to make herself smaller. The girl stared at Akko for a bit, then, gently, nudged flower girl with her elbow. Her companion turned towards her and sent her a questioning glance. “Who’s that?” the girl asked in English, gesturing towards Akko and her large black sweater.

 _“Hmm...a customer, maybe?”_ flower girl answered back in Japanese while her friend just raised an eyebrow at Akko, who had decided hide her face behind a hand.

“You okay there?” the strange miko asked, this time directing her question towards Akko, who gulped nervously when everyone in the room turned towards her. The girl behind the desk gasped and bowed, as if she had just remembered Akko was there.

 _“My apologies!”_ the girl told Akko before turning towards the miko with the staff and explained, _“This young lady came here asking for information, I believe. She didn’t have  a chance to explain before you guys appeared...and well…”_ The girl with the staff nodded once, and turned towards Akko, bowing in apology.

_“Please forgive my interruption. I had just assumed you were just browsing the shop.”_

Akko just shook her head, hand still in front of her face, hiding her nose and mouth, hood hiding her ears. _“I-it’s fine! It’s fine! I...uh…”_ Akko gulped. How exactly was she going to go about this? _Hey, I accidentally used magic and turned myself into a rabbit!_ Suuure. Right! Uh...yeah, she had this (not). _“Um...I...err...I...you see…”_ she stammered, averting her gaze. _“I...I...need yo-your help...with...uh…”_ The girl smiled encouragingly.

 _“It is alright. Do continue.”_ Akko nodded, took a deep breath, and immediately uncovered her head, quickly moving to untie her ears, so they were standing tall for all to see. The little witch looked to the side, blushing as the group of miko stood there, staring. A few seconds passed before one of them, the one that spoke English, asked,

“Is...is that cosplay?”

The other miko, minus the one behind the desk who tried not to laugh, glared at the girl and cried out, _“Sunny!”_

“What? Are they or are they not?”

Before the girl with the staff could berate her fellow miko, Akko grabbed her ears in frustration and groaned. _“They’re real! They’re magic!”_

 _“Magic?”_ the girl repeated, hitting her staff on the floor softly. She walked up close to Akko, taking time to examine her ears, only now noticing her animal-like nose. _“A transformation curse, perhaps?”_ Akko quickly shook her head.

_“No! No! I...I did this…”_

“...you turned yourself into a hare?” the girl, Sunny, asked her, pointing at Akko’s unusual ears. “You did that?” Akko nodded, her ears dropping with embarrassment. “Are you a witch? Or you just practice magic as a hobby?”

 _“...I’m a witch!”_ Akko spoke, pride edging on her voice before her posture deflated upon noticing her ears. _“Eh...well...I...I can do magic.”_ Sunny raised an eyebrow and gestured towards her ears.

“Messed that spell up, huh?”

_“...yeah…”_

_“Hmm...this is rather interesting,”_ the girl with staff remarked, silently asking for permission to touch Akko’s new ears. _“What spell is this?”_ the miko asked, touching the tip of one of Akko’s ears.

“ _Metamorphie faciesse_ , a basic transformation spell.” Sunny answered and Akko couldn't help but blink in surprise. How did she…? “Beginners usually have trouble with that one for some reason. Personal experience.”

Akko couldn’t help but stare at her, doe-eyed. _“Huh? You know about that?”_

Sunny just shrugged.“I’m from a family of witches...and my family is, or rather, was good at those kinds of spells. Not much these days, though.” Akko wanted to ask more but then, she felt a slight tug on her ear and turned towards the girl with the staff.

 _“In any case, this spell is an easy fix,”_ the miko told her, smiling. _“It...might hurt a bit though.”_ Akko nodded, blinked, and finally realized what the girl had said and blurted out a terrified, _“HUH!?”_ but the miko paid no mind. She whispered a few words under her breath and then pulled Akko’s ear, hard. Akko flinched, not having time to process what was happening properly, before a small popping sound was heard and a puff of smoke engulfed her face. Akko blinked as the smoke finally dispersed.

The miko with the staff stood by her side, smiling, while Sunny nodded in approval and the girl with flowers grinned.

It was then that Akko finally noticed what was missing. She touched the top of head. Nothing. Her long ears were gone! She quickly went to feel her human ears and let out a sigh of relief when she felt them, back in their normal place. Akko felt her nose as well, before looking behind her and noticing her little cottontail was gone. She was normal again! _“You fixed it!!”_

The miko nodded. _“Yes. My apologies for the slight...tugging.”_ Akko shook her head, smiling.

_“It’s fine! It’s fine! Thank you! Uhm…”_

_“Honda Momo, at your service, as for my companions,”_ she then gestured towards the other miko. _“Our resident witch expert,”_ Sunny rolled her eyes upward, _“is Miss Selene Archer, we call her Sunny.”_ Sunny waved lazily.

“They call me Sunny because I just happen to be a ray of sunshine...” Akko and the other two remaining miko laughed. Momo smiled softly before gesturing towards flower girl with her staff.

 _“This young lady is Nani Keokani.”_ Nani smiled sweetly. _“And finally, our shopkeeper here is Hibiki Aoi.”_

 _“Nice to meet you! My name’s Kagari Atsuko but you can call me Akko!”_ Akko replied with a grin. Hibiki perked up.

 _“Oh! Your name is Kagari?”_ Akko nodded. _“Then you must be Atsuki-san’s kid!”_ Akko nodded again, this time tilting her head with curiosity.

 _“You know my mom?”_ Hibiki nodded.

 _“Yeah, yeah! Don’t you remember, Honda-san?”_ the girl remarked turning to the miko in question. _“Kagari-san is an old friend of Yoko-sama’s. The detective that came in all those weeks ago, remember? When they caught those guys stealing the donation box.”_

“...wait, wait...someone tried to steal your donation box?” Sunny asked, sounding genuinely interested. “...okay.”

_“Eh. It’s not as bad as it sounds. They got stuck at the gate.”_

Sunny smirked.“Well, it is a rather wide box.”

 _“If only it had been the box…”_ Sunny could only stare at the miko before letting out a small laugh as she realized what she had just said. Akko only frowned. 

She knew she hadn’t been in Japan for a while now, but she couldn’t really believe that people were stealing from temples of all places. It wasn’t unheard of that people stole from shrines, Akko knew that to be true, but to do it in such a callous way was...odd. Okay, Akko was one to talk but she would never steal from a temple and besides, food that was _technically_ free didn’t count.

 _“On the plus side,”_ Hibiki went on, _“they won’t try that again.”_

“Yeah, sure,” Sunny replied as she and Nani shared a look.

 _“We take comfort in the fact that the things these hooligans take can be easy to replace.”_ Momo explained, nodding towards Akko.

Sunny just grunted.“Yeah, but one usually replaces things when they’re broken.”

_“That’s true, too.”_

Well, that sounded ominous. Had people been stealing more than donation boxes and getting stuck on gates?

 _“Oh!”_ Akko exclaimed, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. The little witch smiled towards Momo and asked, _“How much do I owe you?”_

 _“Owe me?”_ Momo wondered, sounding confused. _“You owe me nothing, Kagari-san. We are here to help the people, not take their money.”_

 _“That is of course, if you’re planning to buy!”_ Hibiki replied remarked, grinning. Sunny and Nani couldn’t help but laugh as Momo began shaking her head in amusement. Akko nodded vigorously, turning towards the many little keychains, dolls, and other stuff.

Akko took a small little plush doll of a crow and turned towards the girls. _“How much for this!?”_

She needed to bring some souvenirs back to Luna Nova after all.

* * *

Minamoto Genji was a singer.

He started young, played the guitar since he was ten, played in bands since he was eighteen. He had made a name for himself outside of Japan and he was rather proud of that. At twenty-one, he bought his first electric guitar, a custom made stratocaster, that had been decorated with little scratches and the occasional autographs over the five years he had had the thing. Recently, he had made a habit of taking the guitar everywhere he went, except on special occasions and dates. His girlfriend, Mildred, would always ask him, with a smile and a cute little giggle, if he was about to start a musical number in the street whenever she saw that guitar case behind him. It was...a bad habit. Genji loved his guitar. It was one of the first things he had bought with hard work and determination, and he very well couldn’t leave it alone to pick up dust somewhere in his little apartment. Besides, as a princess had once told him, inspiration could be anywhere, it was just a matter of finding out where and well, carrying a guitar around with him most of the time, he figured he’ll work on that inspirational melody first.

In some ways, Mildred had turned out to be right about that musical number after all.

But today, as much as Genji wanted to, he couldn’t find the inspiration to write or even sing. He had other things to deal with.

His bike was missing.

 _“It happened in the middle of the night…”_ Genji explained as he took a seat by the kitchen counter where Akko had been sitting a few minutes ago, watching as Atsuki began to heat some tea. Once the pot was in place and the electric stove was turned on in the lowest level, Atsuki turned towards him and nodded at him to continue. _“If that wasn’t bad enough...whoever the jackasses were, they made a lot of noise, too, screwed with the cameras and burned the freaking gate.”_ Atsuki’s eyes narrowed.

_“...they burned the gate?”_

Genji shrugged.  _“Damn if I know how.”_

_“And the cameras? Any electronic devices found near the area?”_

Genji made a face. _“Just burned metal’s all I got.”_

 _“That is...interesting,”_ Atsuki noted, glancing at the pot as it began to heat up. The older woman grabbed it by the handle and began to fill in two cups, quickly putting the teapot aside to pass Genji a cup while she took one for herself. _“That seems like so much unnecessary effort just for a bike.”_

 _“Hey, now…”_ Genji grumbled and Atsuki just smiled.

 _“Well, it’s true. Your little noise-maker isn’t the most expensive bike out there, unless you’re stealing a limited edition Neiman Marcus, I wouldn’t really bother with Ol’ Rowdy.”_ Genji grumbled some more. _“Besides, it's usually not attention thieves want when they steal after all.”_ Atsuki glanced at her tea before turning towards her young friend. _“Have you reported it?”_ Genji snorted.

_“I tried. Freaking station’s a mess of people. It took me thirty minutes to talk to someone.”_

Atsuki sighed sadly, putting her cup aside, not bothering to take a drink. _“Yes...I can imagine...the past few months have been rather...difficult.”_

_“Not enough money to keep people around?”_

Atsuki shook her head. _“More like a very bad management of it. It’s been a problem for years now...the new recruits are being transferred to other wards because they can’t afford to pay them here. And many of the older officers have already retired or are about to, if things don’t improve.”_ Atsuki let out a deep sigh. _“We take pride in our work, but...well…”_

Genji shook his head. _“Who would have thought? Edogawa’s losing it's police force because someone’s not managing the money correctly.”_

 _“Basically,”_ Atsuki answered. _“And…? What did they tell you at the station?”_

_“What do you think? ‘We’ll look into it’, they said. And you know what that means? It means I’m not seeing that bike ever again.”_

_“Always so negative.”_

Genji shrugged before leaning against the counter. _“Hey, I’m just being realistic.”_ He stared at his cup then took a sip of tea, flinching slightly. It was a little hot. _“I loved that bike. My Rowdy. Now, some asshole is stripping it off its parts or it's on a boat to America.”_

 _“I’m sorry about that, Genji,”_ Atsuki told him kindly. _“I know how much you loved your little noise-maker.”_ Genji chuckled and raised his cup.

 _“All that money...all of it down...the freaking...drain.”_ He put the cup on his lips and took a long sip, finishing the tea in one single gulp, before calmly placing the cup on the counter and letting out a sigh. When Atsuki gestured at his cup and offered him more tea, Genji declined. _“So, how are you?”_ the young man asked, switching topics. _“How come you’re here and not at the station? That place is packed with people and very little officers to attend them.”_ Atsuki looked to side, hiding her mouth with her cup, slowly taking a sip of her drink.

_“I...uh...am on...vacation.”_

Genji raised an eyebrow. _“...on vacation?”_

_“Y-yes.”_

_“On...vacation?”_

_“Yes,”_ Atsuki responded, raising an eyebrow at the young man as she put her cup down. _“I believe we have already established that part of the conversation.”_ Genji just gave her a look.

 _“They let you go on vacation...with all the mess that’s happening…?”_ he asked her, Atsuki flinching slightly and glancing around the room, trying to avoid eye contact. _“...they have like...five people there and they let you, a senior police officer, go...on...vacation.”_

_“...Uh...I mean...why wouldn’t they?”_

Genji frowned at her. _“Atsuki...you know I won’t tell Akko.”_

After a few seconds of nervous side glances, Atsuki relented with a sigh. _“...I...am on leave. Got shot in the arm.”_ Genji flinched. _“It wasn’t serious. The bullet didn’t hit anything important.”_

_“Ouch...when...when did that happen?”_

_“About a week ago. We went to check an old abandoned warehouse. Ran into trouble with a group of thieves. One of them had a gun. I got...momentarily distracted and well...”_ Atsuki trailed off but Genji caught the implication all the same.

_“And Go? He alright?”_

Atsuki smiled. _“Go has as much energy as the sun. But yes, he is alright. He did save the day after all.”_

 _“And what about Satoshi?”_ Atsuki’s smile turned melancholic.

_“Well, apart from the mini heart attack, he’s alright…”_

_“And the reason you ain’t telling Akko is because…?”_

_“I don’t want her to worry. She already knows my job is...a dangerous one...and I’ll rather not give her stress she doesn’t need. Especially when she goes back to Luna Nova...learning magic is a difficult thing, after all.”_ As she said that, the couch sparkled and changed color. It was now a rosy pink, the pattern unchanged.

 _“I can see that,”_ Genji commented, glancing behind him at the newly colored sofa. _“Guess that explains why Hiko didn’t show up at the studio when I went a few days ago. She was nursing a bullet wound.”_ Atsuki smirked.

_“Hiko decided to take it easy for a while...on account of a bullet...unlike Captain Utada, Mamori surely doesn’t mind.”_

_“I’m surprised you can even manage both jobs to begin with…”_ Atsuki shrugged.

 _“I do my best. Besides, it’s mostly writing songs these days...but Junko-san wishes we could sing together again.”_ Genji laughed.

 _“And you should, Atsuki-san! You’re amazing! I mean...Hiko is amazing!”_ Atsuki smiled sweetly at him.

_“Thank you, Genji...she appreciates it.”_

_“And Yukimura might appreciate it more.”_ His older friend just shrugged.

 _“I owe Mamori for sticking with me during one of the most difficult times of my life and Hiko is the best I can give her to repay that kindness.”_ Genji nodded.

 _“Too bad Hiko can’t do a live concert...I mean, if the police job doesn’t work out…”_ Atsuki shook her head.

_“Hiko is a labor of love. And the less people know who she is the better. It’s the attention I don’t want. Mamori understands...but well, Satoshi and Akko want to see me performing in a stage again.”_

_“Why not? We’re all itching for Kurosawa Atsuki’s comeback.”_ Atsuki smiled.

 _“But Hiko is all you kids will hear, I’m afraid. You’ll have to wait a while.”_ Genji laughed. _“Well, enough about that...and how is Mildred, by the way? Is she still busy with that...family affair?”_ Genji’s mood turned a bit sour.

_“As best as she can. She’s still fixing that mess her father left behind...and with her brother gone, well, there’s so much she can do without tearing her hair out.”_

_“At least she’s got her brother-in-law to help her out…”_ Atsuki commented, taking a small sip from her cup. _“I’m assuming he’s the one that’s taking care of the estate while Mildred finishes her contract work here, yes?”_ Genji nodded.

 _“Yep. Her in-laws are taking care of the place until Milly gets all the paperwork finish...not to mention all those other plans she has in mind.”_ The young man sighed. _“It’s a nightmare.”_

The two friends were silent for a while, Atsuki filling Genji’s cup with tea and turing to fill up hers. As they were camly drinking their tea, the front door opened and Akko walked in with a couple of bags and looking normal again.

 _“Tadaima!”_ she cried.

 _“Okaeri nasai,”_ Atsuki answered, smiling as she noticed her daughter’s lack of animal features. The older woman took note of the bags and raised an eyebrow. _“You went shopping?”_

 _“Yeah! The girls at the temple have a shop! Oh! Genji-niichan!”_ Akko dropped her bags near the entrance and waved at the young man excitedly. _“Hey, hi!!”_ Genji waved back, a smirk on his face.

 _“Hey, kid...I see you went on a shopping spree,_ ” the young man replied, eyeing the bags.

Akko grinned. _“I did! I bought all sorts of cool things from the Taro shrine!!”_

 _“Oh! They finally opened their little shop, then?”_ Atsuki asked her and her daughter nodded.

 _“Yeah! Yeah! Check it out!”_ Akko quickly turned around, grabbed the bags and marched towards the counter, and then, she stopped, head turning slowly to face the couch. It was pink. _“IT CHANGED COLOR AGAIN!?”_

**0-0-0-0-0**

**II**

**0-0-0**

Genji left a few minutes later, leaving mother and daughter alone to begin fixing up dinner.

 _“I hope that you didn’t spend your entire allowance on plush dolls and keychains,”_ Atsuki commented as she placed the pan over the electric stove. Nearby, Akko pouted, too busy washing the dishes to answer right away.

 _“No, Mama,”_ Akko replies, nodding in satisfaction at the clean plate in her hands before putting it aside and moving to clean another one. _“I still have enough!”_

_“Do you, now?”_

_“Yep!”_

_“How much?”_

_“Eh…”_

_“Atsuko...how much?”_

_“I-eh...umm…1,000 yen…?”_

_“Atsuko…”_

_“B-but, they were so cute!!”_

_“...what happened to the 24,000 yen your father gave you for the week?”_

_“...the dolls were cute.”_

_“Atsuko…”_

_“Urgh…”_ Akko looked down at the dirty plates, grime and soap and bubbles and all. She mumbled something under her breath, wringing the water out of the sponge.

_“What was that?”_

_“...I...wanted to...thank the girls...for helping me out…”_ Akko shyly answered.

Atsuki stared at her and smiled. _“I see. But I fail to see how 24,000 yen went missing.”_

Akko flinched. _“...they had umeboshi...and other snacks…?”_

Her mother nodded with a smile. _“Of course.”_

_“...and well...I wanted to bring something back for my friends back at school, too...but...I didn’t find much.”_

_“Oh. And did you find anything they might like?”_

_“Not...really.”_ Akko told her, shaking her head _._

 _“Hmm…”_ Atsuki had finally moved away from the stove and towards the fridge; she opened it quickly and took out the necessary ingredients for dinner, placing them on the counter near the stove and getting a cutting board from one of the cupboards above. _“I’m assuming the snacks and umeboshi are not for them, then.”_

 _“Ehh...they...well, my roommates, don’t particular like umeboshi…”_ Atsuki smirked at that.

 _“Only because you like sour more than sweet,”_ her mother commented making Akko shrug.

 _“Sour is better.”_ Atsuki let out a gasp, pretending to be offended.

_“It is not.”_

Akko laughed. _“It totally is!”_

_“Not true.”_

_“Mamaaaaa!”_

Atsuki let out a small laugh. _“Alright...but I still think sweet umeboshi is better.”_ Akko stuck her tongue out playfully before turning back to continue washing the dishes. _“Do you know what they like?”_ Atsuki asked after a while; she had already turned on the stove, putting the vegetables on top of the cutting board and cutting them into even pieces.

_“Well…”_

Akko did know what her friends would like. Sort of.

Lotte, well, she probably wouldn’t mind the dolls, but unlike Akko, Lotte wasn’t much for plushies. She was more of a reader, reading these strange novels about a girl, a vampire and a werewolf and the adventures they had together. It had a rather convoluted plot (it had also been around for over a 120 years...so, it probably wasn’t ending any time soon). Akko could probably get Lotte a book, but what kind, that was the question. She was pretty sure that _night fall_ series of hers wasn’t really common in Japan, much less here in Edogawa. So...a book. Well, Lotte didn’t just like books, though. She also liked to...uh...sing. Uhh. Okay, umm…

(Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!)

Next up, Sucy. Mushrooms. Done.

As for her friends from the green team, well, Akko knew that Jasminka loved food. Maybe she could go out a get her different snacks. Constanze, well, she wasn’t really quite sure what to get her. Constanze liked to tinker with things. Hmm. Tough one. Oh! Maybe she’ll like one of those robot figurines that were so popular here in Japan! Oh...but those were...so expensive...and she had just _donated_ 24,000 yen...urk! Okay, okay, maybe she could find something in Fukuyama’s shop. Old Fukuyama would certainly have something.

And then, there’s Amanda. Akko really didn't know what she could get Amanda. Hmm. Maybe snacks. She wasn’t a big eater like Jasminka, but Akko had seen them sharing food from time to time. Maybe she’ll like one of the plush dolls she bought. That little red fox definitely fit with her personality!

Now, for the final one...Diana.

When she finally got down to thinking about it, it was all really weird. Akko never thought she and Diana Cavendish, little Miss Perfect, would become friends, much less get along so well (minus the whole Shiny Chariot talk, obviously).

Sure, that time when she had gotten really sick was lame but it had brought Akko and Diana closer. Somehow. It was weird. And now, here she was, thinking about what the Cavendish girl might like from Japan.

Snacks? Books? Food? Eh...dolls? (A Shiny Chariot card!?)

It was so hard to decide!

_“...Mama…”_

Atsuki had finally finished cutting the vegetables, putting them aside in a small, little bowl, before moving towards the chicken, gently cleaning it, before chopping it into smaller pieces. _“Yes?”_

_“I...I might need a little help with that…”_

_“Can’t decide on what to get them?”_

_“Not really. I know what they all like...well, most of them anyway, but…”_

_“You figured 24,000 yen worth of snacks and plushies won’t be enough.”_

_“Y-yeah…”_

_“And why’s that? Did you promise them more extravagant gifts?”_ Atsuki finished cutting the chicken, and moved towards the pan, adding a bit of oil on the surface. She waited until it simmered, and then began to add the vegetables carefully, before grabbing a spatula and moving them around so they wouldn’t burn.

 _“No! No! Nothing like that!”_ Akko shook her head. _“It’s just...well...they got...punished.”_

Atsuki glanced at her daughter, an eyebrow raised in confusion. _“Punished?”_

Akko nodded.  _“Yeah...they, well, messed up a spell and almost ended up burning the school.”_

Atsuki blinked, trying to process what her daughter had just told her. _“...they...tried...to burn down the...school?”_ she repeated, her head trying to figure out the words she was saying, paying no attention to the world around her. The spatula she held had stopped moving as its owner's thoughts traveled back, to engross in the past to care. Akko paid her mother's lack of attention no mind, as she went on to cleaning the dishes. 

 _“Yep! It was super weird! Sucy says it's Diana’s fault, but Lotte disagrees and…”_ As Akko rambled on, Atsuki just stood there, staring at the pan and the vegetables, not even paying attention but moving the spatula all the same.

_So...that’s how it is…_

And Atsuki smiled, then grinned and finally, broke into a giggling fit, spooking Akko, who could only jump and scatter bubbles all over the place. As her daughter berated her, Atsuki just went on laughing, the vegetables all but forgotten. 

_So, that’s what it was!_

Needless to say, their dinner (minus the rice) was slightly burnt when it was all said and done.

* * *

Akko let out a yawn as she switched the television off.

There was nothing exciting. All were just reruns of old shows and the anime she liked would be airing later in the day.

It was already a new day and Akko was just bored.

Her mother had left an hour ago to go to the doctor. At first, Akko panicked but Atsuki assured her (rather nervously) that it was a regular checkup and that she’ll be coming back later to help her buy those souvenirs for her friends. Her father, Satoshi Kagari, had left early too. Unlike her mother, Papa wasn’t going on vacation any time soon. The client his company was working with at the moment had been an absolute nightmare nonstop for the past month.

 _“He’s basically stopping everyone from working...every day it's something new…”_ Akko remembered him saying.

Now, it was just her alone. Alone with her purple couch.

Akko still remembered her father jumping when the change had taken place. He hadn’t even noticed the sofa had been a different color until after he sat on it. Her mother had laughed, of course, and Akko, well, Akko had stopped trying to change the couch back to normal.

If she couldn’t do it before, it would just be a waste of magic. She only hoped the spell would break on it's own...hopefully.

For now, she waited. Waited for her mother to come back...waited forー

_Knock, knock!_

Akko quickly got off the couch and ran towards the front door. _“Hello? Oh, Genji-oniichan!”_

Genji stood on the other side, wearing a black jacket with too many pockets, a white t-shirt that was barely visible behind all that leather, blue jeans, and finally, sunglasses for good measure. Typical Genji-look. At least, he looked better than yesterday.

_“Hey, brat, where’s your mother?”_

_“Mom? She’s out. Went to the doctor’s office for a checkup.”_

Genji raised an eyebrow at that, before turning his head to the side, as if trying to hide his expression.  _“I see...so, you know at what time she’s coming back?”_ Akko shook her head. _“Damn. I was hoping she’ll help me out.”_

_“You mean about your bike?”_

_“Yeah. She told you about that?”_

Akko nodded. _“Uh-huh! But...why aren’t you at the station? Mom’s not working today.”_ Genji scoffed.

 _“I know that. But the...I mean, she’s more reliable.”_ Akko glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

_“Let her take a break! She’s on vacation!”_

_“Hey, kid, easy.”_ Genji told her with an amused grin. _“I just want your mom’s advice, that’s all.”_ Akko’s gaze soften slightly.

 _“Okay…”_ the little witch uncrossed her arms but then, her expression brightened. _“Hey! Onii-chan!”_

_“What?”_

_“What if I help you!?”_

_“Huh?”_

_“I can help you out with my magic, obviously!”_

Genji gave her an incredulous look. _“Magic?”_

 _“Yep!”_ Akko nodded with a smile, before taking out her wand from one of her sleeveless jacket’s pocket and showing it off. _“I might have a spell or two that might help!”_ she explained excitedly. Genji raised an eyebrow.

_“...have you fixed the couch?”_

Akko blinked. _“Huh?”_

_“The couch. Is it fixed?”_

_“Uh…”_

_“Kid, I don’t mind the help, I really don’t...but if you do something and you turn my hair blue, we’re gonna have problems.”_

Akko pouted. _“I’m not that bad! So what if I can’t fix a stupid couch!? This is different!”_ Genji shrugged.

_“That’s hard to believe.”_

_“I’ll have you know that I made a group of brooms dance with my magic alone! And it was amazing!!”_

_“That’s nice and all, kid but if my bike is not moonwalking back home, it helps me very little to know that information.”_ Genji told her, making walking motions with his fingers as he spoke. Akko let out a groan of annoyance.

 _“Onii-chan...you’re so meaaaannnn…”_ The young man smirked and ruffled her hair.

_“And you’re amusing, kid...alright, alright...I guess an extra pair of eyes wouldn’t be that much of a problem.”_

Akko perked up.

_“Really!?”_

Genji nodded. _“Yep. But under one condition!”_

_“Okay! Okay!”_

_“No magic unless it's absolutely necessary, deal?”_ Akko seemed to think about it and finally, nodded with a grin.

_“Deal!”_

Genji only hoped he wouldn’t regret this. Akko didn’t have Atsuki’s infamous bad luck...well, not all of it, at least.

What could possibly go wrong?

**0-0-0-0-0**

**II**

**0-0-0**

Akko and Genji had been walking aimlessly for ten minutes, with the young man checking his phone once or twice, using the internet to get directions to nearby workshops while Akko kept a lookout. _“Ah, finally!”_ The two of them stopped and stared at Genji’s phone where a map of Edogawa was present, small little red dots all over the place. Genji tapped one of them and immediately, the location zoomed in and showed the address below. _“That’s a workshop we can check out. They might know something.”_ Akko gave him a look.

 _“You really think they’ll know anything about your bike?”_ Genji shrugged and put his phone away in his pocket.

_“They were stupid enough to burn a gate and leave a trail but smart enough to mess up the cameras, then I figured they’ll be stupid enough to visit one of the local workshops.”_

_“You don’t think they’re that dumb, right?”_ Akko asked him, raising an eyebrow. 

_“I want to believe their stupidity trumps their smartass.”_

Akko shrugged and began walking, Genji following close behind. They finally reached a street, stopping to wait for the green light to glow before they could cross.

While Genji had a hand on his pocket, Akko resorted looking around, impatiently waiting for the light to change color. This light was so slow! There were no cars coming and still it took it's sweet time!

...oh, it changed color.

Finally!

Akko let out a small cheer while Genji snorted, and they began to cross the street and then, Akko suddenly stopped. The young man was already near the other side when he noticed his companion wasn’t walking. _“Hey, brat! Get a move on!”_ But Akko just pointed towards a nearby corner, and then, spoke excitedly, forgetting she was standing in the middle of the street and the light was going to turn red any second now.

_“Your bike! Your bike!”_

_“My what?”_ Taking a look at where Akko was pointing, Genji could not help but blink in surprise.

There, peeking from a corner, was his old cruiser bike, same as the last time he saw it.

Genji couldn’t help but gawk before shaking his head and following after Akko when she had started running towards it.

They found the bike alone and no matter how much Genji squinted his eyes, he couldn’t see head or tail of anyone that might have left it here. Akko just smiled. _“Wow! I can’t believe it! We found it! And all it took was not crossing the street!”_

Genji just nodded as he went to check his bike. He began to examine the bike closer, trying to see if this was really his bike; the colors were the same, same type of tires, leather for the seat, heck, even the plate was the same, 25-06 with the name ‘Rowdy’ written below the numbers. Yep. This was his bike alright.

 _“...well...okay.”_ Genji remarked, scratching his head. _“How did this get here?”_

 _“Hmm...maybe one of the thieves left it behind because he felt guilty?”_ Akko wondered, a hand on her chin. _“I mean, that can happen, right?”_

 _“Either that, or the police actually worked faster than I give them credit for,”_ Genji responded, shaking his head. _“I’m taking this thing to the mechanic. Check to see if they did something to it.”_ He took out his keys from his pocket and got in, gesturing for Akko to hope behind him.

Once they got settled on the bike, with Akko holding his waist, Genji put in the keys and turned on the ignition. Nothing. He tried again. Nope. Third time, still nothing.

_“Huh?”_

Genji just let out a groan. _“Oh, just great. Now I know why they left it behind. They broke it.”_

 _“I...guess,”_ Akko murmured, sighing. _“But we did find it, right?”_

 _“And now I have to get it fixed...yeah, wonderful,”_ Genji replied with a glare. _“Come on, get off...we’re doing this the old fashioned waー”_

_….brooom…._

The bike turned on.

_Blub, blub, blat...blub, blub, pop!_

_“The hell…?”_

_“It...it turned on…?”_

**_“...ha..ha..ha…”_ **

Akko and Genji froze.

Did...did the bike just...?

Before either Akko or Genji could think about getting off the bike, the headlight sparkled, and then, it changed. The changed happened instantaneously, a head, a snout, a mouth of sharp teeth, eyes, ears and a mane of electrifying hair. It glanced behind it, grinning with sharp teeth at the petrified pair.

**_“Haha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”_ **

And then, the bike speeds off, taking Genji and Akko with it.

* * *

Sunny let out a yawn as she leaned against the wall of the outside of the gift shop, watching as Hibiki closed the glass door and turned the sign that was hanging nearby so it would say it the store was closed for the day.

“What a drag,” the girl muttered, yawning again.

 _“What’s a drag?”_ Hibiki asked her, turning away from the glass door.

“This day is a drag…”

_“Are you saying that because it's a weekday or just because it's going to be your turn to carry one of the Gōrudenbokkusu to the sanctuary?”_

“I still can’t believe Miss Senju is making us carry the set of seven boxes all the way to the sanctuary one by one...and then, by the end of the month, we’ll be taking them out because they’ll go to a temple in some other part of Tokyo...really, what a waste of time.”

 _“They are rather delicate boxes,”_ Hibiki admitted, leaning by Sunny’s side as they watched the miko mingle about, a few were helping some of the locals while others were giving guided tours to tourists, if the cameras and phones were anything to go by.

“Why are those boxes so important, anyway? Momo just told me not to open the box and that’s about it.” Hibiki shrugged.

 _“All I know is that they are rather valuable. The Asakusa-jinja has had them for centuries now...and they’re considered cultural property, along with the shrine itself…only the miko from the sanctuary and from Asakusa would know more about them than me.”_ Hibiki was a young volunteer from Taitō, who came during the vacations to man the information center and now, it’s gift shop.

Hibiki had a reputation for being rather feisty with people, especially tourists that were rude.

On her first week here, Sunny had heard a story of how Hibiki had gotten into a fight with a particular nasty man from Kyoto, the one that had decided it would be smart to start grabbing girl’s from behind. Hibiki had gotten a broom and chased him out of Taro, whacking him once or twice in the buttocks for good measure. Another incident involved her in getting with a fight with a visitor, that had ended with a broken arm for Hibiki and a bloody nose for the other girl. No one did know why the fight even started, but witnesses say that the girl was from a gang and had threatened the temple for protection money.

Hibiki was generally the type of girl to get in trouble, despite the calm demeanor and friendly face. Sunny liked her. She reminded her of her friends back in Boston, at least the rowdy ones, anyway.

 _“Look at the bright side,”_ Hibiki began, nodding her head. _“Once you finish it's done!”_

Sunny rolled her eyes. “Not for the next month, it isn’t. If they’re so damn delicate why not just put them in one of those armored cars and transport them that way?”

 _“They won’t fit.”_ Hibiki pointed out. _“They’ll break the torii and then we’ll have even more troubles on our hands.”_ Sunny shrugged.

“What a bother…”

_...bring...bring...bring…_

A small little sound came from inside Hibiki’s haori and the girl quickly went to grab the phone that was hidden inside a pocket of the haori. Sunny raised an eyebrow as Hibiki answered the phone. _“Yes? Oh, Momo...yes, yes...she’s here, grumping the day away.”_ Sunny just yawned. _“Nani just arrived? Ten more minutes, huh? Okay, she’ll get the box there in twenty. Yes, I know. Bye.”_

“Nani’s not there yet?”

Hibiki shook her head. _“She’s just ten minutes away from the entrance. Momo told me to tell you that you needed to get ready in twenty minutes...that’s about the time they’ll need to put the box with the others.”_

“...terrific,” Sunny said, sounding anything but excited.

 _“Also, she told me to remind you not to open the box. This is very important.”_ Sunny just brushed the worry away.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. No opening boxes. Got it.” Sunny didn't really have the energy to care, nor to satisfy simple curiosity. She’ll just deliver the box and get this over with.

The long walk to Urashima Sanctuary was already giving her a headache.

* * *

**_“YEAAAAHHHH!!”_ **

_“EEEKKKK!”_

_“STOP! STOP YOU STUPID BIKE!”_

Akko held unto Genji for dear life while he held unto the bike, hitting the breaks to no avail. The bike showed no signs of stopping, and it was going too fast for either Akko or Genji to figure out where they were going.

The little witch had tried, after a few seconds, to hold the bike down with a vine spell but the vines that had appeared from the ground and attached themselves to the bike’s tires had just broken off, the bike being too fast for them to handle. Akko had tried to spell again, but it had the same result. And all the while, the bike had just screamed like a maniac, laughing.

Genji, for his part, couldn’t do much, flinching when Akko’s spell broke a third time as the wind hit his face. Akko let out a whine as she went to holding his waist as tightly as she could, for fear of falling.  _“Nothing's working!”_

 _“I noticed!”_ Genji cried back, focusing on the road he could barely make out in front of him. This thing was just too fast.

 _I guess this explains while Milly’s cat went on a frenzy that night,_ Genji thought, flinching slightly at the shapes and figures they passed by, unable to make them out with how fast they were going. _It had sensed this crazy bastard!_

 _“STOOOPPPP!! EEK!”_ Akko yelled out, as the bike made a quick turn that almost threw them off.

 **_“HEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”_ ** the bike cried back with glee.

_“What do we do!?”_

_“Just hold on! We’ll have to ride this out!!”_

_“HUH!?”_

_“Just hold on andー”_

And the world stopped moving.

They weren’t on the road anymore, they were over it. Genji and Akko glanced down, and noticed, to their horror, that the bike was floating above a small fountain. The bike had stopped laughing, but now, it's new lion-like head was glancing back at them.

 **_“Stop?”_ ** it asked and Genji balked.

_“You’re actually listening now!?”_

**_“STOP!!”_ ** the bike roared and then, it took a dive straight into the fountain.

Water splashed all over the place as Akko and Genji were shaken off the bike. Before either of them could recover, the bike let out another laugh and disappeared, much to the shock and surprise of the gawking crowd nearby.

 _“You little fucker!!”_ Genji cursed, shaking water off his clothes as Akko got up behind him, trying to twist the water off of her skirt. _“You fucking piece ofー”_ Akko tuned Genji out as she took a look around, ignoring the crowd nearby.

This...this didn’t look like any park in Edogawa. It was too long. Too full. Too...oh. And that tower in the distance. It looked familiar. Akko could have sworn she had seen that tower in a movie once. But, that tower was near...uh-oh.

After a while, Akko turned towards the cursing Genji and tapped his arm to get his attention. _“What?”_

 _“What’s that onii-chan?”_ Akko asked him, pointing at the tower in the distance.

_“That’s the Sapporo Terebi-tō. How could you not know that!?”_

Akko froze. “ _Are...are you sure…?”_

 _“Why wouldn't I be!? What...do...you…”_ Genji seemed to realize what he was saying now, and turned to stare at the tower. _“We’re in Sapporo!? How the hell we get to Hokkaido!?”_

Had that thing literally taken them all the way to Hokkaido!? How!? WHAT!?

Genji cursed again.

Akko gave him a sideways glance, nervously noticing that he was turning red with anger, eventually, he let out a deep sigh and buried his face with one of his hands, his sunglasses long forgotten and floating on the fountain.

Then, Genji’s phone started ringing.

Genji groaned and went to grab the phone. He didn’t even bother noticing who was calling him before he answered. _“What?”_

 _“My,”_ the voice of Atsuki Kagari answered back. _“What a rude hello, Minamoto-san...”_

 _“...sorry, Atsuki-san…”_ Genji mumbled, uncovering his face and grabbing his floating sunglasses while Akko perked up behind him.

_“Did something happen?”_

_“...yeah...it fucking did…”_

 

**0-0-0-0-0**

**II**

**0-0-0**

_“What do you mean you’re in Hokkaido?”_ Atsuki asked, bewildered. _“Are...are you sure?”_

 _“Of course, I’m sure!!”_ Genji’s angry voice resonated from the Kagari home’s phone.

Atsuki had just arrived five minutes ago, and found the small little note that Akko had left behind, informing her that she was hanging out with Genji to help him look for his bike. The woman had remembered shaking her head and calling the young man to ask where they were and when Akko was planning to return. They did agree to go shopping later, after all.

Now, she was listening as Genji went on a small tirade; they found the bike, it was possessed and it left them stranded in Sapporo, right after throwing them on a fountain.

 _“I see,”_ Atsuki said after Genji finished, her mind trying to process all that she had been told. _“And...are you and Akko alright?”_

 _“We’re fine, Mama! Just...wet…”_ Akko remarked from the background while Genji growled in irritation.

_“I had just bought this fuckin’ jacket!”_

_“That’s good,”_ Atsuki let out a sigh of relief, completely ignoring Genji’s complaint about his jacket. _“Alright, Genji...I trust you’ll get my daughter back home safely, yes?”_

_“Yeah, yeah...I got this. We might need to get a new change of clothes, because I doubt they’ll let us in the express bus like this…”_

_“Okay...I’ll cover Akko’s expenses when you...huh?”_

_“Something wrong?”_

Atsuki blinked.

Was...was there a bike in her kitchen?

It had a head of a lion where the headlight should be and it was literally glowing. The mouth of the lion was open into a wide grin.

_“Genji…”_

_“W-what? What happened?”_

_“I might have found your...bike.”_

_“YOU...WHAT!?”_

_“What? What happened?”_ that was Akko’s voice in the background, but Atsuki wasn’t really paying attention. She was rather focused on the lion creature before her, whose expression of glee had not changed.

 **_“HI!”_ ** the bike cries out, it's grin widening.

Atsuki just stares at it, and then, she glances down. Mud. Tire tracks and mud. Oh, just wonderful. Putting a hand over the receiver, Atsuki asked, _“Is...is that mud?”_ The lion head blinks, mouth closing and opening before turning to stare at the ground. It seemed to jump slightly, as if realizing it had done something wrong, turning to stare at Atsuki's slight disappointed look.

**_“UH….BYEEEE!”_ **

The woman just blinked and the bike was gone, the tire marks of mud being the only proof it had been there in the first place.

_“Atsuki?”_

_“MAMA!?”_

_“I’m here, kids…”_ Atsuki answered, removing her hand from the phone receiver. _“The bike is gone.”_

 _“...wait. How did it even…?”_ Genji began but Atsuki cut him off. 

_“I don’t know. But I guess that answers the burned gate and the mess with the cameras...the bike was stolen by...a yokai of some sort...apparently.”_

_“It must be a fucking new one because I’ve never heard of a lion bike thief yokai!”_

Atsuki smiled, despite the situation. _“There’s always a first for everything, I suppose…now...you’ll probably be back in the early hours of tomorrow if you take a bus now…”_

 _“I know, I know…”_ Genji grumbled back. _“We’ll take care.”_

 _“Are you okay, Mama!?”_ Akko yelled, Genji crying out in indignation. It appeared that the girl had screamed at his ear. 

_“I’m alright, Atsuko...you just worry of getting back home. Okay?”_

_“Yeah, don’t worry weーson of a bitch!!”_

_“Genji!? Genji! Genji! What happened? What…?”_ _Click_. There’s nothing but static on the other side.

Then, the front door opens and in march Akko and Genji, clothes rather damp.

Atsuki just stares at them and they stare back, Akko with a calm expression and Genji with an annoyed one.

Behind them, the bike let out one last laugh and disappeared in a flash of bright light.

Five minutes later, Genji is sitting on one of the couches, a towel over his shoulders, while Akko is busy drying her damp hair with a towel of her own while she sits in the other couch that just changed color again. Atsuki is cleaning the mud tracks left behind by the haunted bike.

 _“You know, in the beginning I thought my bike had been stolen by the yakuza or something, that my bike was just part of the many in some ingenious plot…but nooo. It was just stolen by a freaking yokai.”_ Genji rolled his eyes. _“This situation is just as ridiculous as that technicolor couch of yours, Atsuki.”_

 _“At least the couch doesn’t move!”_ Akko fired back, glaring at the young man for suggesting the whole mess with the couch was ridiculous. And maybe it was. But Akko wasn’t going to admit it.

Atsuki tried not to laugh as she finished cleaning the floor, all the while Genji sent an annoyed look at Akko.

 _“On the bright side,”_ Atsuki commented, smiling. _“It brought you back home.”_

_“Yeah, after taking us on a cross-country trip we weren’t even aware was happening.”_

_“Well, whatever it is...it’s rather...harmless…”_ Atsuki pointed out. _“Perhaps it's not the police you should ask for help this time around.”_

 _“Oh!”_ Akko jumped out of her seat and turned to face her mother. _“The miko at the Taro Shrine might help! Right!?”_

Atsuki nodded. _“Probably...it never hurts to ask.”_

Akko let out a small cheer. _“I can do that!! I’ll be right back!”_

 _“Wait, what? Akko! Akko! What about a change ofー”_ But Akko was already gone, opening and closing the door behind her, the towel she had used to dry her hair forgotten on the couch.

Atsuki sighed.

 _“There she goes…”_ Genji said, taking out his phone. _“I’m surprised she doesn’t explode with all that energy.”_

 _“Heh...Go was worse when he was her age,”_ Atsuki answered him, as she took a seat on the technicolor couch. She sent the young man a puzzled look. _“Who are you calling?”_

_“Your kid’s going to get a miko...and I’m going call Mildred. She’s a witch, too, after all. And for this thing, we might need all the help we can get.”_

* * *

Sunny was a little surprised when she saw Atsuko Kagari running her way.

_“Sunny!”_

“Akko…?”

 _“Ye-yeah!”_ Akko was breathing heavily, as if she had ran a long distance without stopping. _“I...I need your help!”_

“...did you turn someone into a hare?”

_“No! It’s a bike!”_

“...you turned a bike into a hare?”

 _“No!! Listen! A bike was possessed by some yokai...uh...with a lion’s head!”_ Akko took a deep breath and released it, still tired from all that running. _“So...ah, ah...I was hoping that…”_

Sunny frowned. “Sorry, I can’t help you now...I need to get this to the sanctuary.”

_“Huh?”_

Akko finally took notice of the golden box Sunny carried. It was a small box, probably used to hold jewelry. The box was golden, with a few red markings that had been discolored with age.

“It’s a...delivery, I guess,” Sunny explained. “Tell you what...why don’t you accompany me and then, you can explain everything to Momo and the others? They’ll probably know more about...whatever that explanation was.” Akko seemed to think about it.

_“O-okay…”_

“How you even know I was here, anyway?” Sunny asked as she and Akko began to follow the path that led to the first torii gate to Urashima Forest.

 _“Aoi-san…”_ Akko explained. _“I came in...uh...yelling out for Momo...and she...well, pointed this way…”_ Sunny chuckled, imagining Hibiki guiding Akko like officers guiding traffic, that is, if she didn’t stop to ask.

“I see...well...it will take a while to get to the sanctuary, so I hope you’re prepared. Let’s get a move on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many things happening here...but we're not even done yet. The last chapter will be just as long, hopefully, so it might take a while. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this one!


	3. Part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People talking in italics are talking in Japanese. (There's a reason for this)
> 
> Remember when I said this would be a shorter story? Yeah. Me, too. Well, I'm still itching to finish it up in one more chapter...or two...maybe two.

**PART III**

The Forest of Urashima had no end, so it was said.

People that dared wandered inside the forest would lose their way, never to return. If by some miracle one found their way out of the forest, they would find themselves missing time, having lost days, months and even years of their lives the more they traveled down the path to nowhere.

One day became a week, a week became a month, a month a year, even an hour inside was too much. That was the curse of the forest. But for others, it was a blessing.

During the Sengoku Jidai, many yokai had hidden in this forest, avoiding hunters and bloodthirsty samurai, the latter too busy fighting their own to gain control of a chaotic nation.

As the battles raged outside, the yokai lived peacefully in the forest. And the years passed. There was peace. There was eternity.

But then, one day, that peace, that calm, was shattered when they discovered the humans.

They called themselves miko, priestesses, women of extraordinary abilities. They lived in peace with nature, inside a grand temple that barely towered the trees that surrounded it. A great power emanated from within.

The Urashima Sanctuary had been there, long before the wars, long before the yokai came to live within the forest. And these miko? Its guardians, its protectors.

No one knew who had built the sanctuary, or why. The only thing the miko could say was that it was this place that gave Urashima Forest it's power. It's curse.

The forest was a shield, and its power was meant to protect the sanctuary from discovery by warring samurai and bloodthirsty bandits.

But then the world started to change. To evolve.

Urashima Forest became smaller and smaller as the world around it developed. A house there, another over here and a village was born. Soon, a whole town, a city, had surrounded the once, terrifying forest.

Eventually, the sanctuary’s protectors caught up with the times as well, opening its doors to talented miko from around the area, to teach them how to better protect their land from the malicious spirits that lurked in the shadows.  

And then, magic began to die.

As people modernized, magic was no longer needed. With no one to believe, magic declined. A slow spiral that affected everything and everyone. Witch, miko, spirits, yokai, everything.

Yokai, like other spirits, had depended on magic to survive and without it, many had returned to their original forms, while others found a way to coexist in this new world through other means, some with disastrous results. 

As the years went by, the forest had slowly began to lose it's power; travelers began to make long pilgrimages to the sanctuary, losing a few days but not years to find the fabled temple. To combat this, the miko of the sanctuary created a spell that would only let those invited into the temple enter but with magic dying, the spell, like the forest, lost its power as well. 

Nowadays, the miko figured that the best way to keep unwelcome guests out of the sanctuary (and forest)  was to fine them for an absurd amount of yen if they were caught. That strategy wasn’t foolproof, however, hikers and other wanderers could easily get away with lying and not pay a yen. Yokai, however, were not as friendly and forgiving. 

If one of the foolish travelers tried to lie his or her way out with a yokai, they would be cursed. The curses were strangely amusing. Loss of hair, teeth, feeling in their hands, legs, etc. Simple things with easy solutions. 

Not that any of this deterred the high schoolers or thieves. 

Or so, Sunny told Akko. 

_ “Wait...so...people can’t actually enter the forest!?”  _

“Originally. The forest is pretty safe...so long as you don’t stray from the path. But these days, with magic declining and all that jazz, the forest is a shadow of its former self. The magic is still here though, but not like it used to be.” 

_ “Oh…”  _

“Don’t sound so disappointed.”

_ “I know it's just…”  _

For the past forty minutes, Akko and Sunny had been walking down the path that led to the fabled Urashima Sanctuary. The way was long, at least a couple of hours tops, according to Sunny. 

After a few minutes, however, Akko had began asking questions: where was Sunny from? (Boston) How old was she? (15) What was it like training as a miko? (a chore) And what aboutー

“I get the  _ slight _ suspicion you might be bored,” Sunny had said after the fifth question, and Akko, chuckling with embarrassment, couldn’t help but nod her head a little. “How about I talk about the forest for a while, huh? Sound like a plan?” Akko had offered an enthusiastic nod and a smile. 

And that’s exactly what Sunny had done, offering a few little other stories here and there, passing the time with the miko as a storyteller and the little witch as the listener. Not that it stopped Akko’s questions a bit. They came back with a vengeance every five minutes. It didn’t seem to bother Sunny, however, so long as they were not talking about her, she was fine with the constant interruptions.  

But as story moved to the decline of magic, Akko’s mood turned a bit sour.

“I wouldn’t really say this forest losing it's magic is a bad thing…” Sunny pointed out after a moment of silence, tapping the cover of the box to get Akko’s attention. “If anything, people don’t get lost as often.”

_ “Yeah...but it’s upsetting!”  _ Akko blurted out, sounding angry.  _ “Magic is dying!” _

“It’s not dead yet,” Sunny told her, amused. “If anything, it's still kicking and screaming…like half the people that cry out magic is useless. Trust me, if they haven’t died out, magic still has a long way to go.” Akko gave the foreign miko a curious look.

_ “You’ve met people like that before?”  _ Sunny grunted a nod, glaring slightly at the ground.

These wooden sandals were killing her.

“Yep. My family used to practice magic a while back...stopped doing it when it became obvious it wouldn't save us from starvation. Hard times and all that,” Sunny explained, flinching slightly. She glared at her feet again. She didn’t understand the need for this stupid wooden sandals. If it wasn’t discomfort, it was trying not to trip constantly. “We had our fair share of non-believers and god, were they annoying.” Sunny flinched again, when she stepped wrong.

_ “Yeah…”  _ Akko responded, recalling a particular boy and his group of friends and how they had almost gotten everyone killed after they stole her Shiny Rod that one time.  _ “So...wait…” _

Sunny grunted again.

Stepped on a rock! Stupid shoes!

_ “You’re...you’re a witch!!?” _ Sunny flinched, almost losing her grip on the golden box, before turning to face Akko with a glare.

“Not so loud, Kagari...and, technically, no. I’m a miko. You might not have noticed because of my accent.”

_ “But! Aren’t you a witch?”  _ Akko tried again, her voice quieter.

“No.”

_ “No?” _

“No,” Sunny affirmed again, kicking a rock before she could step on it. “I am a miko.”

_ “But...you’re not a witch…?”  _ Akko asked, tilting her head in confusion as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“As I said, not a witch, a miko.” Sunny used her free hand to gesture at her outfit. “Can’t be a witch if I’m a miko.” Akko blinked and then, upon realizing what the other girl said, let out a groan.

_ “Sunnnnyyyy…” _ The girl in question only let out a small chuckle, only to growl in frustration when she stepped on another rock. Akko immediately stopped her pouting when she noticed Sunny fixing her sandal with one hand, while she precariously balanced the golden box in the other.  _ “You okay?”  _

“Yeah...it’s this damn sandals…” Sunny grunted in response. “Comfortable, they said. Comfortable my behind…” the girl grumbled, as she went to grab the box with both hands and tapped the sandal on the forest floor in frustration. 

_ “I’ve never seen someone have so much trouble with geta.”  _

“It’s like wearing heels, it's what they are…” Sunny grumbled, glaring at the path ahead. “If it's not those weird looking socks...it's this things.” 

_ “Well...the geta and tabi are traditional…”  _ Akko explained as she followed behind. 

“Traditions are a pain in the neck sometimes,” Sunny responded, turning to stare at Akko. “Cutting back on traditions saved the Archers a lot of grief back then when our family fortune diminished.” 

_ “Is...is that why you don’t practice magic anymore?” _ Akko asked her and Sunny nodded. 

“We didn’t exactly ‘stop’, so to speak...we just made it less obvious,” Sunny told her. “Magic can’t solve everyone’s problems, and it certainly didn’t solve ours when the money stopped coming in.” 

_ “...oh…”  _

“You okay there?” 

_ “Oh...yeah! It’s just well…”  _

Sunny chuckled. “It’s fine. Not everyone can be happy with magic. But I can see the appeal.” Sunny smirked and gave Akko an amused look. “Not many people can say their cosplay was actually a botched spell.” Akko pouted once she realized Sunny was talking about her. 

_ “Hey! I was trying!”  _

“Like I said, not many people can say that...ack!” And Sunny tripped. Or was about to. 

Taking one wrong step, Sunny began to balance about, trying not to fall, and holding the box precariously with both hands to prevent it from falling. Luckily, Akko came to her rescue, holding her in place.

“Gah! Thanks...that was close,” Sunny commented, sighing before shooting a glare at the sandals she wore. “I soon as I get to the sanctuary, these  _ geta _ are getting the hell away from my feet.” Akko let out a small giggle. “Almost made me drop this stupid box, too.” 

_ “Oh yeah…didn’t you say it was a delivery? What’s inside?”  _ Sunny shrugged. 

“Don’t know. Don’t care.” 

_ “Wait...you’re not the least bit curious of what’s inside?”  _

Sunny shook her head. “Not in the slightest. Curiosity kills the cat, and I don’t care enough to know any different.” Akko let out a small hum, as if unsure what to respond, but followed after Sunny all the same. “We should be getting closer to the sanctuary...give or take an hour or so…”

_ “Okaaaaaayyyyeeeekkkk!” _ And Akko tripped. Sunny didn't even have a chance to get out of the way before Akko fell on her and consequently, they both fell down, with the miko losing her hold on the box. It landed a few paces away, landing on it's lid, still unopened.  _ “Ouuuchh…”  _ Akko whined, looking over her shoulder and spotting the rock that had made her trip.  _ “Oh! Sunny! Are you okay!?”  _ Finally noticing the fallen miko before her, Akko stood up quickly and helped her companion to her feet. 

Sunny dusted her clothes and gave Akko a small nod. “I’m good.” The miko turned to stare at the fallen box and sighed. “Well...at least, it's not open.” Shaking her head, Sunny approached the box, and quickly, flipped it over, noticing as the lid opened and closed when she did so. Sunny flinched once the box was upright, the lid closing as quickly as it opened. “Ah...great.”

_ “Eh!? The box opened!?”  _

“Not good, by the way…” Sunny commented, tapping the lid. “Momo warned me that these boxes shouldn’t be opened at all...maybe they have magic dust inside or something.” The foreign miko seemed to think about something, glancing to the side, before quickly moving to open the box’s lid and taking a peek inside. 

_ “ACK! What are you doing!?”  _

“There’s nothing inside.” 

_ “Hah!?”  _

“Nothing. Here, look…” Sunny turned away from the box and showed it to Akko, who gasped when she noticed that the box was indeed empty. 

_ “Hah…? It’s...empty?”  _

Sunny sighed. “This is so stupid…” She closed the lid on the box with a little bit of force, glaring. “We’re wasting time on empty boxes?” Akko walked closer to Sunny and stared at the box. 

_ “Maybe...maybe it lost it's magic and nobody noticed…?”  _

“How can you not notice!?”  

Akko scratched her cheek.  _ “Well...it can happen, right?”  _

“Right…” Sunny remarked with a hint of annoyance. “Let’s just...get going. The sooner we get to the sanctuary the sooner I can complain to Momo about this empty box nonsenseー” 

And then, as if by magic, the lid was swung open, forcing Sunny and Akko to look down at the tiny little golden box. Both girls exchanged a worried glance before peeking at the open box...at first, nothing happened and then, Sunny let out a yelp of surprise, causing Akko to jump back as the box was dropped and then, like a firework, something sparked to life and flew off into the nearby trees, disappearing into the foliage.  

_ “What was that!?”  _

Sunny shook her hands, trying to tame the pain that had suddenly overwhelmed them. “Who knows...a firework? It certainly felt like one.” Akko pointed towards the forest. 

_ “It’s...it’s not gonna catch on fire, right?”  _

“Nah,” Sunny said, turning to look at her hands and nodding in satisfaction when she noticed the lack of burnt or red skin. “Magic, remember?” 

_ “But…”  _

“It’s fine...we just need to figure out what was...uh, hmm? Akko...where...where did the box go?” 

Akko gave the foreign miko a confused look.  _ “Huh? What do you mean? It’s right…” _ But when Akko turned to stare at the box, it was gone.  _ “Huh!?”  _

“Well, this is just great. Wonderful.” 

_ “Wh-what are we gonna do!?”  _

“More like what am I gonna do, actually. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Sunny explained, shaking her head. “Momo is going to be so mad…well, what are you gonna do?” 

**_...I...see...you…_ **

Both girls jumped at the sudden sound, Akko letting out a yelp of surprise as she did so. Sunny glared at her surroundings, trying to pinpoint where the sound had come from, while Akko just looked around, like Sunny, trying to find out where the noise had come from, but she seemed a little nervous considering recent events. 

_ “Sunny…”  _

“Yeah...I heard it.” Sunny put a finger over her mouth, instructing Akko to remain silent. The foreign miko moved quietly, ignoring the discomfort in her feet as she stepped over a rock. 

Silence.

Sunny glanced all around but there was only silence. No voice. Nothing. 

“Akko…” 

_ “Y-yeah?”  _

“Can you hear any birds?” 

_ “Hah...birds?” _

“Can you hear them?” 

_ “Eh? N-no...is...is that a bad thing?”  _

Sunny looked up, staring at the tall trees that obscured the sky. Immediately, she turned to look at Akko. “We need to leave. Now.” 

_ “Butー” _

“We can’t stay. We have toー”

**_Fufufu...running so soon, morsels?_ **

The ground rumbled, the trees shook, branches breaking, leaves falling. 

Sunny and Akko stood side by side, the miko already taking out her wooden wand, with Akko, wand in hand, shakily pointing it at the forest before her. At first, nothing happens. The ground stops shaking, and the trees and it's leaves stop moving. Everything seems normal. 

**_Fu...fu...fu…_ **

**_I...see...you…_ **

Akko lets out a frantic scream when she notices the giant hand resting upon one of the trees. Sunny stares too, eyes widening slightly as more hands begin to appear. 

The hands look human, the skin rotting, nails long and broken. There’s blood all over them. The blood falls unto trees, unto the ground, dripping from the strange hands to the ground, smoke rising up as if the blood itself was acid. And then, a head appeared. It peeked from within the foliage, the head of a woman with no eyes, jaw open wide, too wide, showing rows of white teeth, and a pair of fangs, hidden by long, black hair that was messy, the ends cut in different parts. 

The head tilted when it sensed the two girls before it. It opened its jaws wider, as if trying to laugh. 

**_I found you…_ **

* * *

Genji wondered how everything could go so wrong in one day.

His bike was stolen, then possessed and now, that same bike was following him around all over the place. He had only left the Kagari home ten minutes ago after that call with Mildred when the lion bike began to follow.

It would hide behind utility poles, even some traffic signs and behind a few pedestrians, who in turn would look at the thing with bewilderment before walking as fast as they could the other way. Genji pretended to ignore the bike for a couple of streets, before finally, getting exasperated.

After just five minutes of playing this stupid game of hide-and-go seek, Genji had turned towards the lion bike, hiding behind another utility pole and muttered,  _ “What do you want?”  _ The bike was still, not moving, not shaking, as a few teenagers on the other side of the street staring at him and the bike, some of them with phones already taking pictures.  _ “I can see you...you know.” _

**_“No, you can’t!”_ ** the bike roared, sounding indignant.  **_“I’M INVINCIBLE!”_ **

Genji snorted, hearing the cries of amazement and wonder coming from the teenagers.  _ “Wrong word…”  _ he muttered, before turning away and walking, only to stop, blinking, as he noticed the bike staring him down with it's big lion king head. It had a grin on its face.

**_“HI!”_ **

Genji raised an eyebrow.  _ “...what do you want?” _ The bike still grinned.  _ “Weren’t you...invisible?”  _ The lion head blinked before in the blink of an eye, it disappeared, but from the shocked cries nearby, he figured it had decided to hide on the other side of the street.

The young man sighed as he kept on walking, still feeling the gaze of the lion from somewhere behind him, still hearing the cries of alarm or disbelief from the other pedestrians.

He was almost tempted to call his girlfriend again for more advice, but he knew she would be sending her to the miko.

It turned out that Akko had the right idea, at least, according to what Mildred had told him (after she had stopped laughing when Genji told her the story of the crazy bike).

His girlfriend had explained that from what little information he told her about the possessed bike, Mildred figured it was a rowdy spirit possessing it. A yokai, most likely. However, even she couldn’t really pinpoint what kind of spirit it was. It wasn’t a nekomata nor a bakeneko, appearance wise, anyway. It also didn’t sound like a komainu. So, his best bet would be to seek out the miko like Akko had done to try to see if they had figured something up.

And that’s where he was going. To the Taro Shrine to get some answers and to tell Akko to get home before dinner.

Atsuki did tell him they had planned to go out shopping today and only sent Genji with the message to remind her daughter about it.

But his peaceful walk had been interrupted by the annoying bike, who kept on pretending Genji couldn’t see it hiding behind the utility poles and other signs and a few people.

Genji kept glancing behind him, noticing the poor attempt at hiding from the bike before rolling his eyes upward and staring ahead.

Hopefully, Akko already had an answer for this nonsense once he arrived to the shrine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit more history on the forest and on Sunny's family. Originally, the Archer and Blackthorn families were going to play a part in this other idea I had, but, they'll have to be background noise for this story. Who knows? Maybe I'll get a chance to work on that idea on a later date. 
> 
> For now, enjoy. See you on the next update, that hopefully doesn't take a month or so.


	4. Part IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People talking in italics are talking in Japanese.

**PART** **IV**

Sunny had almost whistled at how fast Akko had reacted when that yokai showed its ugly face. Sure, the girl had screamed bloody murder but the spell had connected. It was powerful, catching the yokai by surprise. As it cried out in pain, Sunny had grabbed unto Akko’s shaking hand and pulled her away. Akko reacted quickly enough and soon both girls were running for dear life.

 _“WHAT WAS THAT THING!?”_ Akko let out a whimper as she felt the forest floor move underneath her but she didn’t dare turn around to see what was chasing them. Another shake. Another whimper. Trees were shaking, leaves were falling; there was no sound but the thundering footsteps of the creature behind them.

Sunny managed a small glance but that was enough. The thing was huge. Larger than a building, hands dragging it's large bulk and an abdomen made of rotten flesh behind it. The creature shrieked and giggled as it followed after them, all eight of her legs moving at an amazing speed.

The foreign miko grunted, leaving behind the bothersome wooden sandals as she and Akko ran. “If I were to guess,” she began, glancing back at the giant yokai once more, “I would say the itsy bitsy spider really let herself go…” _And it should have caught us by now, too.._ Sunny noted. That spider was large enough to cover the distance between them in just eight easy steps, but it was purposely staying at a distance. And from the looks of things it was enjoying the chase, if those giggles and laughs were anything to go by. It was certainly enjoying their panic, especially Akko’s who displayed her fear quite openly, crying out as she ran.

_“WHAT DO WE DO!? WHAT DO WE DO!?”_

Akko was panicking. She just couldn’t help it.

It was that dragon all over again. Except this one was actually terrifying. Not like the dragon wasn’t. But at least it didn't look human!

She let out another cry when the creature giggled behind her, forcing Sunny to pull her to the side, making a sharp turn. Akko let out a yelp of surprise, almost tripping, before Sunny pulled her towards her, helping the little witch to regain her footing. Seconds later, they heard a loud _thump_ coming from behind them.

Glancing behind her, Akko noticed the yokai turned in midair, taking a few trees down with it and was now following after the two girls. 

Sunny turned to look at the spider once before she raised her wand towards the trees and whispered, “ _Foraen Mugrowna!_ ” The foreign miko’s wand glowed and so did the branches on the tree, before they bended to one side, and stood in that position even as Sunny and Akko ran past them.

 _“What are you gonna do!?”_ Akko asked, glancing at the bended branche, but Sunny didnt say anything. The miko just glanced behind her, and as the yokai got closer to those particular trees, she smirked and cancelled the spell.

The yokai let out a scream as the branches slammed right on its face, roaring and spitting acid all over the place.

 _“Wow!”_ Akko cried out as she and Sunny stopped for a second, watching as the yokai grabbed it's face in pain.

But the victory was short lived, for as soon as the yokai noticed them, it turned towards them and opened it's jaw wide and spat. Akko and Sunny barely had time to move away from the odd, almost silk-like, substance that hit the ground before them. It burned the forest floor.

Akko and Sunny started to run again after that, with the latter letting out a laugh. “Ha! That sure didn’t work!”

 _“You think!?”_ Akko yelled back, barely avoiding branches and leaves as she ran. _“You made her madder!”_ Sunny just laughed again.

“Heh! We'll see about that!” Before Akko could stop her, Sunny suddenly turned, stopping right in front of the spider’s path. Akko barely registered what the miko had actually done, running for a few seconds before finally stopping and staring at Sunny in shock and horror.

_“Sunny!?”_

The foreign miko pointed her wand towards the yokai running towards her and smirked. “ _EXPLODETAGORAN!!_ ” In seconds, the end of Sunny’s wand lit up, like dynamite, and before the spider could reach her, the spark jumped from the wand right unto the yokai’s face. A flash later, and the spark exploded on the spider’s face was caught in an explosion of fire and smoke. Sunny was thrown back as well, landing just a few steps away from Akko, coughing. “Gah! Too freaking close…!”

 _“Are you okay!?”_ Akko quickly approached the miko, kneeling next to her as she checked her. She only had dirt and soot all over her face and clothes. Sunny nodded towards Akko, as she patted the dirt and soot away, with little success.

“Yeah. Just a little rattled...how about you?”

Akko stared at the scratches all over her arms and legs from colliding with the branches and a few shrubs as they ran. _“...fine. W-what was that?”_

“Oh, that? That’s one little dynamite...at least, that’s what the miners used to call it. Packs a punch, doesn’t it? Better than a Murowa to get rid of hazards...but eh...it’s usually a last resort.” Sunny showed her wand to Akko. It was burnt, the stick split in two in the middle. “If your wand isn’t durable or strong...it kinda, catches on fire and burns.” As if to prove her words, the wand suddenly caught on fire and burned away, leaving nothing but ashes as Akko stared in shock. Sunny just stared at the ashes and sighed. “Yep. Just like that.”

**_….YOU!!!_ **

Sunny blinked, as she and Akko turned to stare at the smoke behind them, before it dispersed and revealed the yokai’s angry face; it's hair was burnt, bits of pieces fell from the top of her head, showing a lot of bald spots. One of the fangs had broke off, and she was bleeding.

“Uh-oh...I made her look worse…” Sunny commented rather nervously, only for Akko to let out a scream and point her wand at the yokai.

_“MUROWA!!”_

* * *

Hibiki glanced at the two remaining boxes nearby; the girls had worked all morning, and yet, two boxes of the fabled Gōrudenbokkusu remained.  

Sunny was set to deliver the fifth one, and glancing at the clock once or twice, told Hibiki that Sunny was halfway there. That is if she didn’t stray from the path like Rikimaru-san had done in the early hours of the morning. Hibiki couldn’t really blame her, though. Rikimaru-san had poor eyesight, and a tendency to get lost easily, but she completed the task nonetheless, albeit taking a little extra time than expected. The girl that followed after Rikimaru-san, Watari-chan, had made it to the sanctuary by nine o’clock in the morning, followed by Momo and later, Nani. Their American friend had left forty minutes ago, and Fuse-san, the girl that was set to go after her, had left to get lunch with a few of the other girls. 

Oh, how Hibiki envied them.

Her break wasn’t until three o’clock, and her stomach was already growling.

Too bad the merchandise was off limits. But then again, that was probably a good thing. The snacks were the most popular stock of the gift shop after all.

If only someone would get her out of her misery...or maybe just bring her some taiyaki so her stomach wouldn’t complain so much.

And then the door to the gift shop opened making Hibiki turn towards the newcomer with a smile, which turned a little crooked when she noticed it was just a guy with a leather jacket. Well, at least he was cute.

 _“Hello! Hello!”_ Hibiki bowed and assured him closer. _“Welcome to the Taro Gift Shop!”_

 _“...wait, this is a gift shop?”_ the young man asked, raising an eyebrow at her and Hibiki just laughed softly.

_“We also offer information to the weary traveler.”_

_“Heh…”_ the young man shook his head. _“Listen, I was actually just looking for someone.”_

_“Oh! Looking for someone?”_

_“Yeah...her name’s Kagari.”_

Hibiki blinked in confusion. Akko was friends with such a good-looking guy. Hah! Go figure!

 _“I see...you’re Kagari-san’s friend, then.”_ Hibiki commented, getting a nod from the young man in return. _“Well, she went with one of my fellow miko the sanctuary...and it will take some time for the two of them to return. Although, she did seem to be in a hurry when she arrived.”_ Hibiki could still remember the girl rushing towards her, crying out Momo’s name, and Hibiki, dumbfounded, responded by pointing towards the direction of the Urashima Forest. Akko thanked her and was off in an instant.

The young man let out a sigh and passed a hand over his hair, as if frustrated. _“Figures...that brat rushes into things without looking first…”_

Hibiki let out a small chuckle. _“She seemed pretty determined.”_

_“That she is...so...it will take a while, then?”_

_“Yes. Why? Do you need to talk to her?”_ The young man frowned and then, motioned for her to come closer, opening the glass door and pointed outside.

_“Not really...I just want someone to explain this to me…”_

Hibiki walked towards him, confused, before she turned to where he was pointing.

Standing as still as a statue, was a bike, with a glowing lion head where it's headlight should be. Once it noticed them staring, it turned towards Hibiki and the young man and grinned.

**_“HI!”_ **

_“Eh?”_

The young man, Genji, glanced at the bike, before looking at the dumbstruck miko and asked, _“How do I get rid of it?”_

* * *

When Akko’s spell connected, the yokai let out a screech of pain, tumbling a bit as if drunk.

Sunny quickly stood up, grabbing unto Akko’s arm before anything else could happen and guiding her as quickly as she could to a nearby fallen tree. They jumped to the other side, and huddled close together. Then, they waited.

Eventually, they heard the hurried steps of their stalker walking past them, and for a while, everything was silent.

“Okay,” Sunny let out a small breath. “Evil Charlotte’s gone…”

 _“T-that thing has a name?”_ Akko shakily whispered, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead.

“If I remember correctly, that’s a Jojo-something or another,” Sunny whispered back, scratching her head.

_“A Jorōgumo you mean?”_

Sunny nodded. “Yep. That’s what it is!”

Before Akko could whisper back, they heard that thumping noise again. It seemed that the Jorōgumo had returned. _“She’s back…”_

“The forest’s magic must be working then,” Sunny said, placing a finger over her mouth before Akko could ask questions. A few minutes passed, before the spider yokai let out a frustrated cry and began walking in another direction. Once the spider was out of earshot, Sunny began talking again. “This forest like I told you before...is meant to protect the sanctuary...but it has another purpose. It protects the outside world from rowdy yokai...like our itsy bitsy spider. She’s trapped. Unfortunately, so are we.”

_“...h-hah?”_

Sunny sighed. “The forest is closed off. Trapping both that Jojowhatever in the forest. But in doing so, it trapped us as well. So, everyone outside the forest and this area in particular,is safe…”

 _“But...but not us…”_ Akko whispered.

They were stuck. Stuck and about to be eaten.

If only…

“I’m sorry I got you into this mess, Akko,” Sunny said, leaning against the trunk of the fallen tree. “...if only I hadn’t opened that stupid box.”

The girls were there for a while, Sunny lamenting her simple mistake, and Akko, looking at her wand.

The Jorōgumo was out there. Angry and hungry beyond belief, and despite the legends about it devouring young men, Akko was sure that creature would make an exception out of spite.

And now, they were vulnerable. Sunny had used her best spell against the damn thing and nothing. And no matter how many Murowa’s Akko threw that thing’s way, it would always stand up. Sure, she was showing damage, but one false move and they’ll be goners. Unless…Akko’s eyes widen.

Of course!

 _“Sunny! Sunny!”_ Akko whispered, leaning close to Sunny, and shaking her arm.

“W-what? What is it?”

 _“You think we can seal that thing back in the box!?”_ Akko cried out silently. The foreign miko turned towards her, blinking. _“We could...uh...use a nullification spell on it or something!”_

Sunny seemed to think about it. “You mean, Luna Lana? That spell?” Akko nodded her head with renewed vigor and a smile. “...well...it could work. That yokai is powered by black magic...a Luna Lana could be able to weaken it enough...but…”

_“...but?”_

Sunny shook her head. “We will need a lot of magic to pull that one off...and well...my wand _might_ be a little burnt and yours...how much magic does it have left?” Akko quickly checked her wand. The magic was running out.

Akko let out a small whine. _“It’s...it’s not enough!”_

Sunny just shook her head. “Yeah...it's not enough...but...even if we could perform it, we’ll still need to find that stupid box.” The miko then, glanced to the side, as if thinking about it. “Come to think of it...the box disappeared just a few seconds before that thing appeared...you don’t think…?”

 _“That the Jorōgumo is afraid of the box?”_ Akko asked, getting a nod in return.

“That is possible...it might explain why it got rid of it the moment it got out. It can’t destroy it.”

 _“Then that means we might have a chance!”_ Akko cried out, covering her mouth quickly as she realized she had said that a little too loud.

The two girls were quiet for a while, before letting out a sigh, realizing that the yokai was probably too far away and couldn’t hear them. Yet.

Letting out a sigh, Sunny and Akko leaned against the tree, unsure of what to do next, only for Sunny to blink and began to pat her haori, as if looking for something. The miko grinned as she took out a small, glowing magatama, that was tied around her neck with a string. Akko watched in amazement as Sunny snapped the string, and once free, flicked her finger at the magatama, causing the glowing magatama to blink, before it glowed with green energy. The girl motioned towards Akko’s wand and the witch gave it to her, watching in amazement, as the girl tied the magatama around Akko’s wand.

“There,” Sunny gave the wand back, nodding with satisfaction. “I modified the spell over the magatama so it could give your wand a bust of power.”

_“Modified?”_

“To answer your question, that magatama was enchanted with a translation spell. For me. I don’t know a lick of Japanese.” Sunny smiled.

_“Huh?”_

“Speak English, Atsuko...or else this will be one heck of a one-sided conversation.”

Akko blinked, in confusion before she shook her head. “Hah…? I thought...well…”

“I’m not that talented, Kagari,” Sunny replied with a grin. “I can explode wands in people’s faces, not learn a new language in a few months.” She pointed at the magatama. “Miss Senju has me charge that thing once every three days...mostly because it uses so little energy. This thing could give us the punch we need to take care of thatー”

**_WHERE ARE YOU!?_ **

The girls almost jumped when they heard that familiar voice, and heard the thundering steps of the Jorōgumo coming closer and closer.

Akko and Sunny tried to make themselves smaller, using the shadows and the large fallen trunk to their advantage as the spider yokai moved. They could hear the yokai muttering to itself, letting out frustrating growls.

_...ring….ring….ring…_

Sunny tried not to groan as her phone began to cry out with Akko flinching beside her. The miko quickly moved to get the phone, as the yokai moved about, trying to locate the noise.

Finally, Sunny found her phone and in her panic, answered the phone instead of hanging up. “Ar-archer here. We...we don’t deliver…”

 _“SELENE!”_ Oh boy...Momo. _“What in the world are you doing!? One of the local kappa has just informed me that Urashima’s magic was activated! No one can get in or out!!”_

“Uh…” Sunny didn’t understand much of what Momo was saying, but from her agitated tone of voice, Sunny figured she was already in trouble.

_“Did you stray from the path and antagonized a local yokai!?”_

“...uh...no…?”

_“SELENE!”_

“Look...I...uh…” Darn it, she couldn’t understand this girl and that thing was just behind them, so if Momo could just stop…

 _“No! No excuses! You will apologize to the offended party this instant! We cannot be having fights with you carrying one of the_ _Gōrudenbokkusu! Do you understand me?”_

No. Whatever Momo had told her, Sunny definitely didn’t understand.

_“Selene! That box you carry is dangerous! We need it in the Sanctuary, now!”_

“Look,” Sunny began, getting angry at Momo and getting frustrated at the fact that she couldn’t understand her. “If you could just let meー” Before Sunny could finish, something sticky appeared from above them, sticking to Sunny’s phone before grabbing it, and sending it upwards, towards the open mouth of the yokai, who closed its mouth and ate Sunny’s phone without remorse. Sunny and Akko stared at the yokai. “Uh...I’ll call her later…”

Akko and Sunny quickly got up, only for the yokai to scream again and slap the two girls on the back, sending them down to the ground, groaning with pain, glancing behind them as the yokai prepared to attack.

Akko’s wand had fallen out of her hands when the Jorōgumo had hit her and Sunny. Now, it lay just a few inches away. The yokai would notice her before she had a chance to grab it and throw a spell it's way.

 **_I SEE YOU!!_ ** the yokai mocked, **_NOW, I WILL KILL YO-AGHHHHH!!!_ **

**_“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHEHEHEHEHAHAHA!!”_ **

It all happened too fast. First, the Jorōgumo was standing over them, smug and bleeding, and the next, it had been tackled to the side by something with two wheels and the head of a lion.

Sunny stared in awe, as the bike with the lion’s head laughed again, circling the fallen yokai, who let out a screech as it tried standing up. “...Akko…?”

“Huh?”

“Did…” Sunny had trouble forming her question, watching with shock as the bike laughed and laughed, as the yokai angrily tried to step on it. “...did..did a bike just...run over evil Charlotte, laughing like a maniac?” Akko stared at the bike, unsure of how to respond at first before she nodded.

“Yeah…”

“Oh good, just checking…”

**_“HEHEHE! HAHAHA!!”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost there! Don't worry! The sudden appearance of the bike will be explained next chapter. You might have noticed this yokai does take damage, unlike the other one. That is a good thing. For now. :) 
> 
> Hopefully this story will be finished in either two more chapters. Hopefully. See you next time!


	5. PART V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People talking in italics are talking in Japanese.

**PART** **V**

 In few western countries, the miko were called the Witches of the East. It had been a common misconception assumed by foreigners. “They can do magic, so therefore they must be witches,” they’ll whisper.

While they weren’t entirely wrong, miko did not always carry magical power.

Unlike witches, one could become a miko without knowing a thing about magic. Their main job was to take care of their local shrine and offer aid to the guests that came to visit, offer fortunes (or o-mikuji), participate in ceremonial dances or sell souvenirs.

However, the other miko, the ones that could do magic, had much more dangerous work to content with.

They were the ones that took care of the curses, the demons, the evil spirits that still roamed Japan to this day.

Despite magic’s decline, many yokai had managed to find ways to become even more powerful than before, whether it be by finding ways to sustain themselves, to cursing as much people as they could before they perished as the magic in them died.

It was a miko’s job to contain unruly yokai and to keep Japan safe.

That was their burden.

But Hibiki wasn’t like those other maidens from the Urashima Sanctuary, the ones with their magic and their wands and their knowledge.

Hibiki just took care of the gift shop.

And now, there was a bike standing right there in front of her; it looked rather normal, except for the electrified head of a lion that was grinningー _grinning_ ーat her. The young man, Genji, stood nearby, arms crossed over his chest, and asking, _“So...how do I get rid of it?”_

**0-0-0-0-0**

**V**

**0-0-0**

Ten minutes later, Hibiki was still staring at the bike, a hand over her mouth as if she couldn’t believe there was a bike with the head of a lion standing before her. She would look once or twice at the young man, who shrugged every single time, before turning to stare at the bike, still standing there, still grinning.

_“...wha-what?”_

_“Exactly.”_

The miko gave Genji a look before shaking her head.

A few paces away, the miko of the shrine were already standing before the visitors, making absolutely sure none of them got too close to the bike and risk getting injured if the strange being proved violent. Genji could have sworn he spotted the group of teenagers that had been taking pictures of the crazy bike near the entrance, still taking pictures of the damn thing. And the miko were worried.

Hibiki took a deep breath and turned towards Genji, gesturing at the bike in disbelief. _“Where...where did you…?”_

_“Look, I didn’t catch this thing anywhere,”_ the young man explained, shaking his head. _“Freakin’ thing stole my bike last night and now, I can’t get rid of it.”_ Hibiki blinked, giving Genji a bewildered look.

_“Wait...it...it stole your bike?”_

Genji nodded. _“Pretty much.”_

_“...oh.”_ Hibiki crossed her arms over her chest, watching the grinning bike for a few seconds, before nodding and turning, slowly, towards the shop. Genji and the grinning bike watched her go, Genji with a bored expression while the bike lost it's grin and let loose a small whine, as if it was disappointed the girl had left.

But it's smile returned once it noticed the miko approaching; the girl had a small little book in her hands.

The bike let out a small laugh while Genji stared at the miko in confusion, but before he could ask any questions, the girl was already opening the book and flipping the pages. Hibiki would stop once or twice every few pages to read something before turning the page, glancing at the bike once or twice. Genji glanced at the book, noticing the cover that read _Yokai of Kanto_ , pictured on it were different yokai of colors and sizes. They had smiles and cheerful colors. Probably one of those children’s picture books.

Nearby the bike let out a yawn, sounding every bit as beastly as the head it wore, making everyone, except Genji and the busy Hibiki, to turn towards it. The miko were concerned, the guests curious and those teenagers were now taking video. It let out another yawn, shaking its head from side to side before pouting towards Genji and the miko.

The bike was being ignored! Where was it’s attention!?

Letting out an annoyed whine, the lion bike lowered its head before it's ears twitched and it turned to face the guests and the miko nearby, who were staring. It grinned.

Before anyone could stop it, it disappeared into thin air, appearing just behind the guests, letting out a loud **_“BOO!”_ ** making all of them jump before one of the miko tried to shoo it away. In response, it moved again, this time, appearing behind the miko, a few who jump in surprise and a few others that tried to hit it with their long staffs, to no avail. It was just too fast.

The lion bike let out a laugh and started to run laps all over the place, before stopping and taking notice of both Genji and Hibiki staring at it.

It grinned.

Genji wasn’t impressed.

Hibiki was just confused.

Turning back to the book, Hibiki passed a finger over the text, trying to find rhyme or reason for this strange being. _“...it’s definitely mischievous...but what yokai isn’t? Let’s see...doesn’t look like a bakeneko...a nekomata, perhaps?”_ The miko began tapping the text with frustration before deciding it was the wrong page, and turning it over to a new one. Hibiki glanced at the bike again, who by now, had settled down and was just standing there, grinning, before looking back at Genji. _“Anything...uh, unusual about it? Well, besides the possession...and...the head...”_

Genji frowned, turning towards the bike, who had begun to whine again as it noticed teh miko ushering the guests out of the temple, despite a few of them wanting to take pictures of the strange thing. They told them the temple would be open at a later time until this strange event could be resolved. And the lion bike whined some more.

_“...it’s fast. Burned the gate of a parking lot, too...I guess...and it sparkles. Like electricity.”_

Hibiki pondered the young man’s words, tilting her head. _“Electricity…?”_

_“Yep. That thing’s head is made out of electricity or something…”_ Genji told her, pointed a thumb towards the bike. Hibiki took a closer look at the bike, squinting her eyes, finally noticing the little sparks that surrounded the strange being’s mane. Nodding, Hibiki turned back to the book, flipping a few pages quickly before tapping the page excitedly, and then, showing it towards an unsuspecting Genji.

Genji let out a gulp upon noticing the terrible being pictured in the page.

It was a monstrous cat, with many teeth, bloody all over, carrying behind it a chariot full of decomposing corpses. A large, gray cloud circled upon the creature’s head, spewing lightning and fire in its wake.

_“This is a kasha,”_ Hibiki explained, pushing the book a little too close to Genji’s face, forcing the young man a few steps back just to avoid staring into the demon’s eyes.

_“Yeah...I see that…”_

_“Kasha are said to steal corpses. Some stories say that it's accompanied by lightning or fire...but,”_ Hibiki turned to stare at the bike, unsure of what to think, _“this thing doesn’t look remotely like one.”_

_“What gave it away?”_ Genji remarked dryly, turning to stare at the bike who was pouting with annoyance at seeing it's audience leave.

_“It could also be a raijū but they are not known to possess things. They’re proud, brave and foolhardy. They also have an extreme dislike of planes. But this thing...it's too...”_

_“...unusual?”_ Genji finished getting a nod from Hibiki as she closed the book in defeat.  

_“Kasha are tricksters but they play tricks with corpses and raijū are always looking for a fight. Whatever is possessing your bike is obviously something but whatever yokai it is, I cannot rightly tell you...unless…”_

_“Unless?”_

_“We could ask the creature what it is. Some yokai are rather vain, and would gladly educate their victims as a last request,”_ Hibiki explained.

Genji just gave her a look and the miko returned it with a small smile.

Hibiki approached the bike first, taking a deep breath and coughed slightly to catch the bike’s attention. As soon as it noticed Hibiki approaching, the bike began grinning again, nodding its head.

**_“HI!”_ ** it cried, showing sharp white teeth.

_“Ah, yes...hi,”_ Hibiki began, a little unsure. Those teeth looked mighty sharp. _“I was...I was wondering or rather, we were all wondering...uh, yes...um...what exactly are you?”_

The bike tilted it's head, as if confused by the question. **_“What?”_ **

_“What are you?”_ Genji asked, rather forcefully, getting a chiding look from Hibiki in return by the bike didn’t seem to care. It tilted it's head to the other side and then, grinned.

**_“I’m a bike!”_ ** it cried, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Genji scoffed. _“Yeah, sure...that’s a bike alright and I’m the princess of Tokyo.”_ Hibiki gave Genji another disapproving look but the bike seemed to take the remark seriously for it let out a gasp, as if realizing something.

**_“PRINCESS!? OH! OH! YOUR HIGHNESS!!!”_ **

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Hibiki couldn’t help letting out a rahter unladylike snort while the young man just began massaging his forehead. _“...I got a demon but he doesn’t even understand sarcasm.”_ The bike let out a laugh, not knowing how to respond.

Hibiki just shook her head, a smile in place. _“Alright,”_ she began, glancing at Genji before turning to face the bike. _“One of you has to be lying to me.”_

The bike let out a howl of laughter, but as soon as it started, it suddenly stopped, making Hibiki and Genji look at it with an odd mix of surprise and concern.

It, then, began to sniff the air, ears twitching as lightning sparkled in it's mane, forcing Hibiki and Genji to step back, unsure of what it was planning to do. The head’s eyes suddenly widen and before the miko and the young man knew what was happening, lightning engulfed the bike and before they knew it, it was gone, letting out a loud cry of **_“BUUUUNNNNYYYYYY!!!!”_ **

The ground where it stood was burnt; it's tire marks heading towards the Urashima Forest.

_“...what…what just happened?”_

_“Aoi-chan! Aoi-chan!”_

One of the miko was running towards her, cellphone in hand. She was one of the new girls. Ritaru.

_“Ritaru-san!? What’s wrong? What happened?”_

_“It’s Urashima! The forest’s magic has sealed it!”_

_“WHAT!?”_

_“Wait, wait,”_ that was Genji sounding a little concerned. _“What’s going on? What seal? What’s happening?”_

But Hibiki wasn’t answering. She just stared straight towards the path that led to Urashima Forest, barely taking notice of the tire marks.  

The Urashima Forest’s magic was activated and that could only mean one thing.

The forest had a dangerous yokai inside…

...and Sunny and Akko were right there, in the middle of it all, unable to get out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super long delay! I...kinda a serious case of writer's block...and well, new things just kept taking my attention away...like reading...
> 
> But, here it is...small update, I know, but I will try to get the next chapters out before the end of this month, no promises though, but we are close to the end here. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this one and again, sorry about the delay!


	6. PART VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...the final showdown begins...sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People talking in italics are talking in Japanese.

**PART VI**

“What is even happening right now?”

Akko and Sunny watched from some distance away as the bike with the head of a lion made circles below the nasty Jorōgumo, who tried, in vain,to crush the strange being under its decomposing palms. The yokai would let out scream after scream every time it missed its target while the bike would laugh at it's failure; the bike’s laughter made the spider even angrier causing the chase to go on and on, the Jorōgumo screeching and the bike laughing.

The little witch watched the scene in silence before she shook her head and bent down to grab her fallen wand. Once it was in her hands, Akko turned to Sunny, who was staring at the bike and the spider yokai with a concerned expression. “Sh-should we run…?” Sunny said nothing. Her eyes were glued on the bike. “Sunny?”

Sunny let out a deep sigh and shook her head. “...is that the bike you mentioned earlier?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah...yeah...that’s the bike.”

The miko frowned, flinching slightly as the spider yokai let out another howl of rage and raising an eyebrow when the bike laughed. As she watched the scene play out, the foreign miko went through all the mythical spirits she was familiar with, trying to find a name for whatever the bike was and coming out blank. She was almost positive that that lion-thingーwhatever it wasーwasn’t a yokai or at least, your normal run-of-the-mill spirit. It certainly didn’t look like an oni. Perhaps that lightning yokai bird...thing...cat…? Ugh! Sunny almost wished she had her _Yokai of Kanto_ book; the pictures inside were rather terrifying despite the colorful cover and it certainly helped Sunny understand who and what the yokai that lived in this forest were but she had left it behind with Hibiki while she delivered the demon box. Perhaps it was a good thing she left the book behind, if anything, Sunny would have probably thrown the thing at that Jorōgumo’s face when it was chasing them around. Maybe the pictures could have scared it away.

And even without taking whatever that bike was into consideration, the young miko was faced with another much more serious problem.

Momo had told her all about Urashima the first few days when she arrived from Boston.

The magic of Urashima was not something Sunny had heard of before; sealing magic, a common defense against outsiders. It could take the form of anything, a river, a mountain, a forest, but the effect was the same. In the case of Urashima, the forest of no end, it's magic trapped travelers and yokai the deeper they traveled, losing time walking through eternity. That was it's magic...at least, part of it. The forest had one final spell, one final hurrah to protect everything around it.

Urashima’s sealing spell only activated when it sensed danger; it would seal off a part of the forest, trapping yokai and humans alike in an area, preventing them from stepping in or out. The seal was meant to keep dangerous yokai contained with death being their only way out or when their presence was no longer felt by the forest and the seal dissolved by itself. The fact that this bike-lion-thing had managed to break through the magic was worrying.

Momo had made it very clear that no one, absolutely no one, could escape the forest’s spell, except for one person: Lady Kato, Head Priestess of Japan and one of the most powerful magic users in the world. The fact that some weird bike-lion-whatever-thing had managed to break through was rather worrying. Sunny could always chalk that up to the forest’s failing magic, but she knew that if that was true the Jorōgumo wouldn’t have wasted time trying to chase them when it could just leave in the first place.

“Sunny?” The foreign miko blinked as Akko began to shake her shoulder; the witch looked worried, eyes shining with concern for her silent friend. Sunny shook her head slightly.

“Sorry about that...just thinking,” the girl gestured with her head at the laughing bike and yelling spider. “It’s...this has been a really long day…”

Despite the situation, Akko let out a small snort, nodding her head. “You’re telling me! But seriously...you were so quiet! You okay?”

Sunny shrugged. “My health’s fine. Everything else is a mess. There’s a giant spider in front of us that’s trying to step on a bike that ran over her...oh, and to make matters even worse, that same bike managed to break in the forest whose sealing magic knows no bounds.” It was Akko’s turn to blink.

“Eh?”

Sunny gave the confused Akko a serious look. “Remember what I told you before about the magic of the forest? Well, here’s the thing...no spirit, no yokai, no demons, you name it, is capable of leaving or entering this forest once the sealing magic is active. No one. That’s why evil Charlotte was chasing us all over the place. She can’t leave. If she knew or thought she was capable of actually leaving, the forest would fight her back. Everything in this forest would come alive to fight her, to keep her inside, leaving or dead...the same thing goes to those outside the forest or this area.” Akko’s eyes widened slightly at that explanation. “There’s only one person in the world that can actually break through Urashima’s sealing magic without any problems and last time I checked, she wasn’t a bike with a lion’s head.”

“M-maybe...maybe it's a stronger yokai?”

“...or maybe it’s a different sort of thing altogether.” Sunny turned to look at Akko’s wand, the magatama still tied around the handle and glowing; nearby, the spider, rather comically, tried to step on the bike again and again, only to miss every time. That bike was just too fast. “We need a plan. Fast.”

“You think we can leave while she’s distracted like that?” Akko asked, wincing slightly as the Jorōgumo howled with pain. From the sounds of things, the spider yokai had accidentally stepped over a sharp rock while trying to stomp on the possessed bike. In turn, the bike let out a loud laugh upon noticing the misstep.

“Depends...if your little lion king bike over there proves dangerous we might have another problem in our hands.”

“...I don’t think it's that bad.” Akko told her, smiling a little despite everything. “The worst thing it did was take me and Genji to Sapporo and then it dropped us in a fountain and sped off.”

“It dropped you in a fountain?”

“It wasn’t that high of a fall, though,” Akko explained quickly upon noticing Sunny’s incredulous stare. “Genji just got annoyed because his new jacket ended up all wet but the bike did come back for us andー”

“I think I get it.” Sunny interrupted, putting a hand on Akko’s shoulder. “It’s just crazy. Gotcha. Crazy’s better than deadly, I guess.” Sunny began looking around. “We need to get back to the path, though. If we retrace our steps we might be able to find that demon box...we last saw it on the path, so that Jogowhatever must have hidden it nearby.”

“It could be where she first attacked us!” Akko suddenly pointed out excitedly as Sunny nodded.

“True...and the path is easy to find...if we just went around in circles, that is...but we’ll find it, eventually. The sealing magic shouldn’t block us from getting to the path...well, at least not all of it, anyway.”

**_“BUNNY!!”_ **

“HAH!?” Akko let out a yelp and Sunny stepped back as the bike suddenly materialize in front of them, grinning. Behind the bike, the Jorōgumo lay, a tangle of limbs and misery, growling as it tried to antagle itself.

**_“Hi!”_ **

As Akko stood staring at the bike, Sunny glared at the lion and then blinked. “Wait...bunny? Who’s it talking about...oh.” Sunny turned to stare at Akko, who stared back. “...the bike’s talking about you.”

“What?”

**_“BUNNY!”_ **

**_I WILL KILL YOU ALL!!_ **

“How does this bike know you turned yourself into a hare?” Sunny asked, ignoring the Jorōgumo’s remark.

“WAIT! WHAT!?” Akko turned a glare towards the bike, who had the decency to look rather sheepish. “You followed me!?”

“It probably was following the owner of the bike...this Genji guy you’ve been talking about.”

“Huh? Oh! Yeah!” Akko turned towards Sunny and nodded. “Mom did say that Genji had gone to visit! Andーwait a minute!” The little witch quickly turned towards the bike. “That’s why we found you so easily, wasn’t it!? You were following Genji!”

The bike just laughed as an answer.

“That explains it…I guess.” The Jorōgumo let out a screech; it had managed to untangle itself a bit, using its front legs to drag itself slowly towards the girls and the bike. “We don’t have time for this…” Sunny turned to Akko. “Let’s go. Get on the bike.”

“Hah!? But I thoughtー”

Sunny shook her head. “It’s faster than everyone combined at this point and it hasn’t attacked us...yet. And besides, I would rather take my chances with crazy kitty over here than the dragging corpse over there…”

**_I...WILL...KILL…_ **

“But…”

**_GAHHH!!_ **

Akko and Sunny turned towards the Jorōgumo, now dragging it's decomposing body with four legs, getting closer and closer towards them. It twisted it's head as it approached, spinning it around slowly, the girls flinching when they heard the bones cracking as they turned.

“Uh…” Akko began before shaking her head and turning to the bike. “Okay, then! Just don’t take us to Sapporo, alright!? We need to put this spider back in a box!”

**_“ALRIGHT! Heheheheh!”_ **

“Hooray, progress,” Sunny deadpanned from behind the little witch, who pouted at her as they quickly climbed onto the bike. The foreign miko had a little difficulty getting on the vehicle due to her long hakama, and after struggling for a few seconds, opted to sit sideways, moving her upper body enough to hold unto Akko’s stomach while the witch grabbed the bike’s handles.

_Blub, blub, blat..._

“Alright! Let’s go!”

**_“YEAHHHH!!”_ **

“Wait...do you know how to drive this thing?”

_...blub, blub, pop!_

“HUH!?”

And they were off, the Jorōgumo screeching at their tracks.  

 **0-0-0-0-0** ****  
**VI** **  
** **0-0-0**

It didn't take the girls and the bike long to find the path, Sunny quickly pointed out at some footprints on the ground, Akko barely making out the impressions of her shoes and Sunny’s forgotten geta. A few steps away, the little witch made out the handprints of the Jorōgumo; they were all over the place, but terrifying all the same.

“Here we are...there’s were the itsy bitsy spider showed up...now, we just need to find that box.”

 **_“UP!”_ ** the bike suddenly yelled, it's lion head pointing towards something at the top. **_“UP! UP!”_ **

“What is it?” Sunny asked before Akko looked up and began pointing at some trees nearby.

“Sunny! Sunny! Look!”

And looking up, the miko finally spotted what both Akko and the bike had found. From a thick, yellowish spider web held up by a pair of trees, the golden box lay, it's lid held open by the silk.

“But, of course,” Sunny muttered, shaking her head as Akko quickly got off the bike and began climbing up the nearby tree. “Hah? What are you doing?”

“I’m getting that stupid box!”

“Yeah, but why don’t you...oh, wait. We need the magic. Nevermind. Just be careful.” Sunny slowly got down from the bike, watching as Akko climbed the tree, the bike cheering her on.

**_“Go, Bunny! GO!!”_ **

The miko watched Akko go, disappearing from view into the branches and large leaves, frowning slightly as she looked behind her, waiting for the Jorōgumo to appear any minute now. But the spider yokai never did, instead, Sunny’s attention was grabbed by Akko’s loud yelp forcing the miko to turn towards the trees and the spider web. She watched, wide-eyed but alert, as the web began to rip before falling down, box and all. Another yelp alerted her to Akko’s untimely fall, the little witch falling face first into the ground, covered in thick, yellow silk all over, groaning softly at first before letting out a bigger groan when the box fell on top of her.

**_“Bunny, you’re back!”_ **

Sunny quickly went over to the little witch, grabbing the box and putting it aside before helping Akko up. The girl was full of scratches, a few leaves stuck on her hair, ponytail undone and sticky all over because of the web. “I know this is a stupid question,” Sunny began. “But...are you okay?”

“Y-yeah! Don’t worry! I’ve fallen out of worse places...ow, ow, ow!!” Akko let out another groan, as she began to scratch her arms. “It’s just...why is it so itchy all of a sudden?”

Sunny watched the girl scratch herself a few more times before she snapped her fingers as if remembering something. “Ah...yeah. That might be because a spider yokai’s web is poisonous...so, you might get a rash...or two...or more...”

“WHAT!? POISON!?”

“It’s just an allergic reaction, though so, I think you’ll be fine…” Sunny said, trying to pacify the other girl, only for Akko to cry out,

“YOU THINK!?”

**_“SPIDEEEERRRRR!!”_ **

Akko and Sunny barely had time to react when suddenly, the trees were pushed aside and the Jorōgumo’s head appeared, turning and cracking, it’s hair a mess and it's long legs no longer tangled. It’s jaw was wide opened and right in the middle, an eye watched them, it was red and pulsating, before it was gulped down, disappearing from sight.

**_I FOUND YOU_ **

“You sure did…” Sunny commented through clenched teeth as she and Akko stood side by side, keeping close to each other as they watched the Jorōgumo; nearby, the bike watched, unmoving, as if waiting for something to happen. Sunny glanced at Akko, who already had her wand in hand, the magatama still glowing with energy. “...you ready?”

Akko nodded. “Yeah…”

The Jorōgumo screamed and began moving and at the same time, Akko raised her wand, Sunny grabbing unto the girl’s hand to share what little magic she could for the spell.

“Ready!?” Sunny yelled.

“READY!” Akko answered, as the magatama glowed and the Jorōgumo got closer and closer.

_“Ein Ein Sof!”_

_“Ein Sof Ohr!”_

_“LUNA LANA!”_

A spark of green magic surrounded Akko’s wand and it was fired towards the yokai, tying itself around the creature and constricting it's movements. The Jorōgumo trashed about, it's long legs pressed too close to it's face, as Akko and Sunny struggled to keep the spell going but the yokai proved just a little too strong.

The girls fell backwards as the spell broke, the Jorōgumo struggling a bit more before breaking out of it's magical binds. It shook its head once and growled.

**_...you…_ **

“Oh-uh…” Sunny muttered as the spider began walking towards them now, slowly, completely forgetting about the talking bike that just moments ago had made it's life miserable.

“Co-come on! We gotta do it again!” Akko cried out, her hand shaking as she pointed her wand at the approaching Jorōgumo; the magatama lay, glowing a little dimly as it's magic began to run out. Sunny gulped but nodded, holding unto Akko’s hand as they both pointed the wand towards the yokai, who let out a small giggle as if realizing their second try would be just as useless as the first. “R-ready!?”

“...ready.”

Akko took a deep breath and began, _“Ein Ein Sof.”_

Sunny whispered, _“Ein Ein Sof.”_

And both took a deep, long breath, before they stared right at the Jorōgumo and let out a loud yell of _“LUNA LANA!!”_

The spell flew straight at the yokai, green energy cackling as splashed unto the creature, but unlike before, the magic barely affected it. It just kept walking, uncaring at the sparkles and green light that surrounded it's body.

**_“...heheheheh…!”_ **

The Jorōgumo stops in its tracks, magic still surrounding it before a loud rumble sounded out of nowhere.

Sunny dares to glance nearby, but the bike has lost its head and now lays on its side.

And then, thunder. It sounds like a _bang_ , forcing the spider yokai to look all over, distracting her from the magic that is trying in vain to hold it back.

 **_“...heheheheheheheheheheheh!”_ ** There’s that laugh again. Akko knows that laugh. It’s the laugh of the lion bike. But where is it coming fromー

ーa yellow lightning bolt appears from the heavens, surrounding the Jorōgumo before it could react. The lightning mixed together with the green magic, tying up the yokai and making it screech in pain. Green and yellow turned blue, as did the spell at the tip of Akko’s wand.

The Jorōgumo couldn’t move, it was paralyzed by the blue magic as it sparkled and cracked all over it.  

**_...no! NO!_ **

From the corner of her eye, Sunny sees the golden box, sparkling with that same yellow energy that had surrounded the Jorōgumo moments before. It's lid is open and inviting, floating gently towards the yokai, who, for the first time in a long while, cries out in absolute terror. It almost sounds human.

**_NOOOO!!!_ **

And then, it happens. A giant sparkling lion head appears deep from within the box, eyes glowing white, mane electrified, a big grin on its face. But then, it's over. The lion bites unto the Jorōgumo’s head and drags her inside the box, the yokai unable to do anything but be dragged to it's prison by the unknown creature; the golden box shakes once and then, the lid closes but not before a lightning bolt flies away and the magatama tied around Akko’s wand breaks.

Finally, the chase is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh...might made this chapter a little less intense than usual, but well, there's a crazy bike in the group so we had to work with it. 
> 
> A little bit more on Urashima's power...and well, on that bike's power as well. Don't worry, there's a bit more before we finish! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment! :) See you on the next update!


	7. PART VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People talking in italics are talking in Japanese.

**PART VII**

_“The barrier! The barrier is gone!”_

The words of the nearby monk immediately alerted the sanctuary; bells rang, the local yokai breath out a sigh of relief as they scurried away, the monks and miko quickly moving towards the entrance and expressing their joy. Crisis averted, they all hoped.

Momo, too, followed her fellow miko and monks, walking as quickly as possible to overcome the large crowd that was beginning to form on the sanctuary’s entrance. Nani was beside her, trying to keep up.

 _“Seems like Sunny took care of the problem, after all!”_ Nani said, smiling nervously as she noticed Momo’s frown.

_“Seriously, that girl...what was she thinking?”_

_“Oh, Momo...I don’t think she meant any harm...at least, not on purpose,”_ the other miko remarked.

Momo just shook her head. “That girl is getting a piece of my mind...and Iー”

Sunny and Akko stood at the entrance of the Urashima Sanctuary. Both looked worse for wear, as if they had gotten into a fight with the forest itself, they had scratches and cuts all over, twigs and leaves hanging from their hair. Akko herself seemed to be having some sort of rash on her arms for they were red all over.

_“Nani...is that...?”_

_“Miss Kagari, yes! …and umm...a bike...”_

_“Yes. I see.”_

Every miko and monk that had gathered in the entrance stood and stared at the newcomers; Sunny with a bored expression, holding a golden box with one hand, Akko stood next to her, twiddling her fingers together, embarrassed by all the attention and next to them, glowing like the sun, was a grinning lion head mounted on a bike.

Everyone was quiet for a few good seconds before Momo stepped forward, her staff held firmly in hand with Nani walking up behind her.

_“Selene…”_

Before the miko could go on, Sunny held up a hand and walked towards her, before shoving the box into Momo’s waiting hands, muttering, “Here’s the stupid demon spider box…” Momo quickly took the box, eyes wide before recovering to give Sunny the must exasperated look she could muster.

_“You opened it, didn’t you…?”_

Sunny let out an annoyed and tired sigh, whispering, “If I wanted to get eaten by the spider-demon, I would have gone to the freakin’ Amazon.” Her fellow miko raised an eyebrow at that. Nani smiled sweetly at her friend, clapping her hands before gesturing Akko to come closer.

 _“What matters is that you both are safe and sound!”_ Nani replied, all smiles. “Let’s get you two cleaned up, ” to Momo she said, _“Save the lecture for later, okay? We need to see to their wounds first...yelling later.”_

Momo sighed. _“Oh, alright,”_ she turned to Sunny and glared. _“While you do deserve a good scolding, I decided it can be done after they see to your injuries...besides, Kagari-san doesn’t need to hear this.”_

“Umm...well,” Akko began only for Sunny to shake her head.

“Don’t push it, girl…” she told her to the side, before nodding. “Alright. Let’s fix ourselves up before the big match begins, then...huh? Hey, where’s that talking bike?”

“Eh?” Akko and everyone else turned their heads only to find tire tracks in the place where the bike had been moments ago.

**0-0-0-0-0**

**VII**

**0-0-0**

“You are unbelievable, Selene,” Momo scolded as she applied some antiseptic to Sunny’s cheek. Her friend let out a flinch, but otherwise let her continue applying the medicine. “After I explicitly told you notー”

“I get it!” Sunny replied for what had to be the fifth time since the conversation started.

While Nani took care of Akko’s injuries, Momo decided it was her duty to see to Sunny’s own and in turn, learned of everything that had happened prior to the Jorōgumo’s appearance, from Akko running behind her to their fateful encounter with the talking lion-bike-whatever-it-was. “I got careless...ouch!”

“Careless in what way? Sunny, you hardly care to do chores around here and you say you got careless,” Momo joshed, giving her friend a small smile and applying even more antiseptic while Sunny glared at her.

“Har, har...ouch! You know what I mean…”

“Yes...your uneventful trip to the ground before you opened the box, I know, I was paying attention.” Momo finally finished applying the antiseptic while her fellow miko let out a sigh of relief. “We did tell everyone the boxes were not to be opened for a reason, you know…” 

Sunny shrugged. “I figured...but for a thing like that to be released just by opening a box…”

“Those boxes are special in the way they were constructed and cursed,” Momo told her as she put the medicines away. “They all have with them a seal, a seal that can only be opened by human hands. The reason the Jorōgumo did not escape when the box opened slightly the first time was because you hadn't foolishly opened the hatch.”

Sunny snorted. “Seriously? That seal is a weird one. One would think something like this would have a chosen one or something to break the seal.” Momo laughed.

“I fear not. The seals for the Gōrudenbokkusu were especially made for humans to break. Yokai cannot destroy the boxes nor break the seals.” Sunny was silent for a bit before giving her friend a look.

“Had you actually bothered to tell me that in the first place, Akko and I wouldn’t have been running all over the place like headless chickens.” Momo shrugged.

“In my defense, I figured you would be too lazy to care to open one...guess I was proven wrong.”

“Hey! I’m not lazy! I just...don’t care to do most things, like any other normal person,” Sunny remarked, crossing her arms over her chest while Momo shook her head, smiling.

“Sunny! Momo!”

The two miko turned towards the voice of one excited Akko, who waved at the two a little too fast. Nani stood nearby, gesturing them over.

Nani’s healing magic had fixed most of Akko’s bruises and cuts and the red rash was mostly gone. The girl had only a few bandages in her face, and for all appearances, she looked better than before, at least, it didn’t look she had been running for her life just a few minutes prior.

“Hibiki is here,” Nani told the two miko as they got closer. “She just arrived with a gentleman on that...uh, strange bike.”

“Huh?”

_“Honda-san!”_

Momo and the others turned towards the voice. Hibiki was not too far away, a big smile decorating her pretty face. Next to her, Genji Minamoto stood, examining the sanctuary and forest around him. Behind him, wearing a radiant grin, was the lion-bike-whatever.

**_“Hey! HEY!”_ **

**0-0-0-0-0**

**VII**

**0-0-0**

Sunny tried not to glare too much as Hibiki animatedly recounted how the bike had helped transport the remaining boxes safely to the sanctuary.

 _“It was quite an impressive feet, if I say so,”_ Hibiki said, grinning. _“To think it took us all morning to transport only five of these infernal boxes! With this magnificent bike here, we transported two boxes in fifteen minutes!”_ The volunteer miko gestured a hand towards the seven boxes already placed in their wooden pillars, while the table with scrolls and vases and other artifacts watched over them.

“Hooray…” Sunny halfheartedly cheered, her newly replaced magatama sharing her sentiments with a small glow.

Akko let out a nervous laugh at Sunny’s lack of enthusiasm while her fellow miko smiled. Nearby, Genji raised an eyebrow, smiling with amusement.

 _“Indeed it is truly impressive,”_ an older woman said, nodding as she inspected the golden boxes. _“You have my gratitude...this at least, makes sure the girls don’t get into any mischief.”_ The woman eyed Sunny with a disapproving look which the girl returned with a bored one.

 _“Eh...it wasn’t really my call, Senju-san,”_ Genji explained, nodding towards a smiling Hibiki. _“She asked for a ride.”_

 _“Heh!”_ Hibiki grinned.

 _“I see,”_ Senju replied, winking Hibiki’s way. _“Well, I can take comfort in the fact that all the Gōrudenbokkusu are here now...and barring that accident at the forest, everything should be fine.”_

 _“So, you’re just gonna keep them here?”_ Akko asked, suddenly concerned. The older miko nodded.

 _“Certainly. Besides, it would only be for a while...so long as no one opens them.”_ Senju turned towards Genji. _“Now, as for your little bike problem...I fear it may be a little out of my element...if what Miss Archer tells me is true.”_ The young man frowned.

 _“So...it’s not going away, is it?”_ Senju shook her head.

_“I fear it might be too late for that. The spirit, by now, has become your bike, so to speak...it is too attached.”_

Genji sighed. _“Great…”_ Senju patted the young man’s shoulder.

_“Come now, Minamoto, chin up! Anyone would wish a bike as fast as yours!”_

_“Except mine talks, and it's annoying,”_ Genji responded, sounding unimpressed by the bike’s abilities.

“Look at the bright side, at least, you won’t be late for anything with that talking bike around,” Sunny pointed out.  

 _“Unless it throws you into a fountain,”_ Akko added. Genji responded by placing a hand on the girl’s head and messing up her hair, much to her annoyance.

 _“Alright, everyone...how about lunch?”_ Senju asked, smiling a bit as Akko pushed Genji’s hand off of her head and began to fix her hair. _“Now, Atsuko...your mother called a few minutes ago. She’s waiting for us back in the shrine...oh, and she’s paying by the way,”_ the older woman added with a wink. Akko nodded, almost glad to got and get some lunch. Oh, and also the presents for her friends! Yeah! Akko couldn’t possibly forgetー

_“EH!?”_

_CRUNCH! CRUNCH!_

Everyone stared in shocked silence as the talking bike appeared and began munching on one of the Gōrudenbokkusu, the wood breaking apart in the bike’s teeth, splinters flying everywhere. Before long, the box was all but eaten up. And then, the bike moved to another and then another. The same thing happened. _Crunch, crunch!_

It was only as it reached to bite the fourth box that Senju reacted. _“S-shoo! Out! Out!”_

 **_“AWWW….BUT IT’S LUNCH TIME!!”_ ** it whined, but stopped nonetheless. The bike seemed to pout before it disappeared in a flash, leaving behind the remains of the three boxes, that were nothing but splinters and dust.

“Sooo...what’s the protocol for when the boxes get eaten?” Sunny asked after a while, turning her head to and fro, but the other miko, plus Akko, were just staring at the remains of the boxes in shock. “No one….Okay. It’s lunch time, anyway...so, let’s go.”

 _“Hey, kid,”_ Genji whispered, trying to get Akko’s attention. _“I...I don’t have to pay for that, do I?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super long delay! I kinda got...sidetracked. But recently, inspiration hit me and I figured, why not! 
> 
> There's just one final chapter after this one, but don't worry, you won't have to wait months for it! I plan to have it done by the end of the month or on the beginning of April. 
> 
> See ya, and again, sorry for the delay.


	8. FINALE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People talking in italics are talking in Japanese.

**FINALE**

Things started to go back to normal after the talking bike disappeared; in the end, the miko were unable to explain or make heads or tails of what spirit it actually was.

One of the miko had theorized that the spirit had come from the stars, whatever that meant.

The spirit had disappeared and that meant so had Genji’s bike. His Rowdy.

It was a week later and Genji was hitching a ride in Atsuki’s car, the older woman making small conversation as they passed the time heading towards the airport.

Mildred had left for Boston a couple of days ago; she had been called to the estate to resolve an issue about some missing paperwork, so Genji had been alone for a couple of days in their shared apartment. He decided to join her after he realized that bike was not coming back. Atsuki had offered to give him a lift.

And now, here they were, the Narita International Airport just a few minutes away, maybe more with all the damn traffic.

_ “So, you never did tell me what Yoko-san told you about that bike of yours…”  _ Atsuki began, her eyes on the road, eyes glancing to the side as a convertible passed her. Speed was a little too high on that one.

Genji let out a sigh.  _ “She didn’t know what the heck it was...neither did that other lady in charge…” _

Atsuki hummed; the convertible had gotten stuck between a small truck and a pickup, unable to move. Guy had been going to fast and had almost hit the break a little too late.

_ “Am I to assume that’s a good thing or a bad thing?” _ the older woman asked as she slowed the car down. They were stuck in traffic. For now.

_ “Hell if I know…” _ Genji responded with a shake of his head.  _ “Whatever it was, they’re stumped…” _

_ “And about those boxes…?” _

_ “‘Not a problem’, they said...apparently that thing destroying them was a good thing.” _

Atsuki raised an eyebrow. Little movement on the front of the truck. Already the convertible’s driver was honking the horn. Impatient, was he?

_ “Okay...well,” _ the woman shrugged.  _ “They would know more about it, though...at least no one got seriously hurt.” _ Atsuki’s gaze hardened a bit before she sighed.

Traffic was moving again. Convertible tried to pass the truck but a car got in his face. He honked the horn in irritation. Traffic stopped.

_ “Akko didn’t exactly explain it well, did she?” _

Atsuki chuckled.  _ “She didn’t explain anything at all...Yoko told me. Had quite the adventure, although, I can see why she didn’t tell me before she left.”  _ The older woman put a hand on her cheek, leaning against the steering wheel.  _ “I’m just glad those two are safe...” _

Genji just nodded.

A few minutes, and much honking later, the cars began to move.

Narita Airport was getting closer, any minuteー

ーthen, the car stopped. 

Atsuki blinked in surprise, while Genji cursed next to her.

What the hell was that? Had a car hit them? But then, if it had why couldn’t she…

….she wanted to laugh the moment she noticed the familiar being with her rear view mirror.

_ “What the fuck was that?”  _ Genji muttered. He looked at the mirror and gasped.  _ “You. Are. Kidding. Me.” _

**_“DON’T GOOOOO!”_ ** The talking bike stood behind the car, biting hard on the trunk of the car to keep it from moving.

Around them, cars stopped, some honked, a few others passed by them with little interest. Atsuki put the car in PARK and turned to Genji, trying to hold in her laughter with a soft smile.

_ “Genji,”  _ she began, as the young man turned to stare at her.  _ “I think...I think your bike is biting my car...”  _

Genji let out an irritated growl.  _ “...fuck my luck.” _

Atsuki clapped her hands and started laughing. 

* * *

Akko let out a yawn as she arrived at the airport terminal; she had arrived just a few minutes ago, and was already fighting with the jet lag.

She almost wished she could fly on the broom but then remembered that she sucked at it and she just sighed, depressed.

The little witch let out a small huff before marching to pick up her bags; she had packed light, her mother helping her fix her suitcase before she left. Atsuki was better at this than her. Her mom had managed to fit everything without struggling to close the damn suitcase! Or maybe Akko had been a little too impatient when packing because she might have been running a little  _ late _ . Just a little, though!

Akko let out another sigh.

She picks up her suitcase and then waits.

There should be another suitcase coming her way, too. The one with all the souvenirs her mom helped her pick. She had candy, some dolls, some books, random nick-nacks courtesy of Fukuyama’s shop and a few other random things from the Taro Gift shop. 

Ten minutes went by and nothing.

Akko blinked. 

Eh? Where was that other...no, Akko began to sweat, then, she was slapping her forehead, then she was mad. 

“OH COME ON!” she yelled, causing a few people to jump in surprise. 

In her rush, she had left the suitcase with the souvenirs back in Japan. 

Akko groaned. 

So much for that. 

* * *

Sunny let out a loud yawn as she and her two companions approached the old warehouse; it was already a new day, and Sunny just wanted it to end.

It had been a couple of weeks already since the whole evil Charlotte disaster, Akko had left a week ago to go back to school and now, Sunny was picking up the pieces. Not that she was complaining. Her carelessness had almost gotten them both killed. At least she gave credit to Akko, she was willing to share the blame but Miss Senju had refused when she heard the whole story; Akko tripping on her, Sunny carelessly opening the golden box and everything that followed after.

And that wasn’t even getting to what happened after all that, when the lion king bike came and ate three of those golden things. Too bad it didn’t eat the box with that spider bitch. Miss Senju had stopped it before it could.

What ended up surprising Sunny, and frankly the whole Sanctuary at large, was when the Head Monk of the Asakusa Temple, some Shu something or the other, arrived and had a big grin on his face as he proceeded to lecture them. Blah, blah, blah, those boxes were dangerous, thank you for getting rid of them-I mean, shame on you, blah, blah.

Sunny still remembered the whole room just staring at the man as if he had gone crazy.

“I’m getting mixed messages from this lecture,” Sunny remembers commenting to an equally baffled Momo standing next to her. The young lady just nodded and whispered back,

_ “You’re not the only one…” _

Once he was gone, Miss Senju proceeded to give her own little speech, but thankfully hers was a little more expected. She did confirm what the monk had told them, that the boxes had been destroyed and the yokai within them had ceased to exist. Apparently, whatever spirit had possessed young Minamoto’s bike had proved stronger than the lot of them (“Yeah, tell me about it,” Sunny had whispered before getting shushed by Momo and Nani).

Miss Senju was still unable to explain to them what that bike lion thing actually was but she assured the young miko and monks that it was fine. Apparently, Kato-sama had gotten wind of the situation and assured her that the spirit was harmless, perhaps it had come from the stars to aid them by chance.

Sunny had been rather incredulous.

She had heard the stories, yeah. Spirits from the stars were a rare occurrence. It was said that they were created at the same time that Yggdrasil was born. Those stars in the sky, those constellations, yeah, those were spirits, given form by the beliefs of the people on Earth, or so the stories said. Orion here, Serpens there, Ursa Major, etc., all spirits.

Still, it was too good to be true. It made sense, somehow. Yet, why would a spirit just fall down from the heavens and possess a bike of all things?

Well, whatever, Sunny didn’t really care. If Kato-sama had said that bike was alright, who was she to say otherwise?

(Maybe she was a little concerned. A little.) 

For now, Sunny just let out a few grumbles, Momo rolling her eyes behind her and Nani trying not to laugh.

Even if things had turned up alright in the end, Miss Senju had deemed it appropriate to punish Sunny for the whole spider debacle; a month of cleaning seemed to be fine enough.

“Ugh…”

Momo rolled her eyes; they were outside of the old warehouse Sunny had been assigned to clean for the day. “I don’t see what’s there to complain about. It’s just a bit of cleaning.”

“That’s still work...” her American friend grumbled. 

“Oh, come now...this won’t take you more than five minutes.”  

“Yes, but you know Sunny...even five minutes is too long.” Nani commented matter-of-factly with a smile. Sunny scoffed.

“Even two minutes is a crime.”

“Sunny…”

“Alright. Ugh...fine, as if I have a choice.” Sunny gave a loud sigh. “Give me that broom...let’s get this over with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally...it was a long ride. Apologies for the long wait! 
> 
> But, here it is! Done! 
> 
> Anyway, the next story, "When Yokai Attack" will be deleted in a couple of days...mostly because I wanna work on an idea I originally had for it before...and also because I wasn't happy how the whole thing was going...don't worry. The change will be small and the story will remain largely the same. Now that this story is over, I can work on that. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! It was a blast writing this! 
> 
> See you next time!


End file.
